An oil rig that has been missing reportedly does not relate to the National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC), NIDC managing director said.
"We have no knowledge of the missing oil rig," Heidar Bahmani was quoted by ILNA as saying. The total 70 oil rigs belonging to the NIDC are currently active, and they have not encountered any technical problems, Bahmani said, adding that the rigs are either made domestically, in China, Europe or the US.
Hamid Hosseini, a member of the board of directors of Iranian Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Products Exporters Association also said the oil rig "may have not been delivered in the first place, but it cannot be missing." It is likely that the money is paid, despite the rig not having been delivered.
There are reports suggesting that the rig is operating in one of the neighboring countries, said Nader Ghazi-Pour, a member of the Parliament's Mines and Industries Commission.
A letter has been submitted to the managing board of Parliament, requesting an urgent investigation into the matter. The letter, signed by 10 members of Parliament (MP), has urged the Energy Commission to question the oil minister.
"The oil ministry is obliged to formally respond on the matter, and if MPs are not convinced, the issue will be pursued through judiciary means," Ghazi-Pour said, adding: "There will be no compromise. The judicial system will severely penalize those responsible." An oil rig called Deen was bought from Turkey three years ago, at a cost of $78 million, but it has not entered the country, as of yet. It might be lost, or operating in other neighboring countries, according to some reports.
"The fact that there is no information on the rig's location, is very surprising, even for Parliament," said MP Mehrdad Lahouti. However, Alireza Salimi, MP said that some "important clues are available," to help locate the missing rig. The information will soon be publicized, he added.
