What’s in it for me?

With more than 50 years of experience, Iran’s shipbuilding industry has made many efforts to expand the shipbuilding industry and update its technical and scientific knowledge. Now it has become one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world by building oil tankers and repairing all kinds of gigantic vessels.

The coastal province of Hormozgan with the islands of Kish and Qeshm, due to its large capacities in the marine transportation sector, both commercial and fishing, as well as the coverage of neighboring maritime provinces and Persian Gulf countries, has the highest share in the field of construction and repair of all types of vessels, all types of masts, It owns oil and gas barges and platforms in the Middle East region.

The coastal province of Hormozgan, with 47 shipbuilding and barge-building units as the center of Iran’s shipbuilding industry, has large shipbuilding companies, which has taken the first place among other coastal provinces.

Among the shipbuilding and barge building units of Hormozgan, Iran’s Large Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex (IZOICO) with about 50 years of experience in the west of Bandar Abbas and close to Kish Island, as the largest marine and offshore industry complex in the country, has a high capacity in construction and repair. It has various types of vessels, marine structures and oil and gas platforms.

Some of the companies active in the field of building and repairing ships and marine structures are as follows: Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex of Iran (ISOICO), Marine Industries Company of Iran (Sadra), Arvandan Shipyard, Darvishi Complex, Julai Complex, Ilka Shipyard , Bahraman Shipyard and Captain Island Shipyard etc.

Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex (IZOICO) as a special economic zone for shipbuilding in the Persian Gulf in an area of 1100 hectares, is the largest shipyard in Iran.

ISOICO has been created due to its natural and geographical location and having a pond with an area of 380 hectares, as well as having the legal facilities of special zones for the development of industry and trade in shipbuilding and offshore industries and marine structures.

ISOICO has caused the growth and strengthening of low-skilled industries and the creation of factories and service activities and job growth. Geographically, this region has access to international waters through the Persian Gulf and to all parts of the world through Bandar Abbas using land, railway and air routes.

Due to its proximity to the ports of Rajai, Bahonar and the islands of Kish and Qeshm, where the largest volume of import and export and transit of the country is carried out from these ports, as well as the annual traffic of a countless number of vessels in the Persian Gulf, this area has gained importance.

Considering the existing potentials and as a strategic bottleneck, in addition to the construction and repair of all types of vessels, the ability to perform very diverse service activities in various fields is one of the other potentials of ISOICO.

4- Offshore industries

In the last decade, the offshore industry has experienced the highest growth in investment and net profit in the Middle East, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Reestad Energy institute announced by publishing a report: The demand for offshore oil and gas is still high, and the data of the institute’s analysts show that the offshore industry will have the highest growth in a decade and in the coming years, considering the new projects worth 214 billion dollars.

The estimates of the institute’s analysts show that the annual profit of the offshore oil and gas sector will increase by 16% to 15 billion dollars in 2024 and 2025.

Currently, about 20% of Iran’s oil production is related to the offshore sector, which is compared to other countries with oil and gas resources and considering the shallow depth of the seabed in the Persian Gulf and the relative ease of exploration, extraction and transfer of oil and gas to land. Compared to deep seas such as the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, this amount should be more and more.

In the last 20 years, Iran’s offshore industry has grown significantly. In the current conditions and for the further growth of Iran’s offshore industry, there is a need to purchase goods for projects, planning and cooperation with international companies in the field of engineering, construction, transportation, installation and commissioning of offshore structures as well as drilling sea wells.

Iran has common reservoirs with neighboring countries, namely, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Oman. The largest joint gas field in the world (South Pars – North Qatar) was discovered and put into operation in the Qatari section 20 years earlier than the Iranian section. Also, at present, the UAE is extracting more than twice the amount of Iran from the joint field of Salman and Saudi Arabia from the joint field of Forozan. These are all reasons for the growth and development of the offshore industry in Iran.

Another important issue is that Iranian companies do not have the ability to implement this high volume of projects and they must use the capabilities of well-known offshore companies.

Marine ecosystems provide many benefits to human society through ecological services. According to the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, marine waste is a challenge without borders and certainly all plastic waste is caused by human activities. According to the information of the United Nations Environment Program, 300 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year, of which 8 million It enters the oceans.

In 2015, the estimated damage caused by marine debris to the fishing and aquaculture industries, marine transportation, shipbuilding and marine tourism in the member countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation was 11.2 billion dollars, and in recent years, the available plastics In the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, five large garbage islands have accumulated.

80% of existing plastics enter the oceans through land, 15% of them float on the surface of the sea, and 15% of the waste moves underwater with sea currents, and 70% of them are buried in the sea. So we can only see a small amount of this debris and it is a disaster.

Considering the investment of about 180 billion dollars in the global plastic production industry in the last decade, and with the increase in the consumption of single-use plastic products, we must work harder and more precisely, and our region is no exception to this.

The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has allocated 40 million dollars of budget for waste management, including prevention of waste production, followed by reuse, recycling and recovery as the last option and safe burial with priority in coastal provinces.

Industrial pollution is undoubtedly as old as human civilization, but the information available about it is from recent years. Being located in the center of the world’s main energy reserves and the geopolitical region of the Middle East and Persian Gulf and having huge resources of oil, gas and related industries, Iran is the activity area of many free commercial, industrial and special economic zones.

Sometimes we face oil spills from oil wells and oil platforms or oil tankers passing through our territorial waters. In this regard, the use of remote sensing technology is used to detect oil stains and create centers to deal with oil pollution in Iranian ports.

Ecosystem services of the seas and oceans that play a major role in the global supply of human food.

According to information published by FAO in 2018, fisheries and aquaculture provide almost 50% of animal protein in some regions. Also, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture activities improve food and nutritional security, increase income, improve livelihoods, economic growth and protect the environment and natural resources.

The need to invest more in research and monitoring in order to provide comprehensive information on the characteristics of the marine and coastal environment is the need to pay attention to the marine environment.

Shipbuilding is one of the strategic industries that is very important in our country due to the extent of sea borders and the importance of sea transportation. For many years, the ship design process was carried out in countries like Germany and South Korea, and we used to buy from them. .

Due to the presence of brilliant and young talents in Iran, the field of localization of ship design processes has started in Iran. Iranian design companies have a lot of preparation and potential to cooperate with foreign design companies. It is necessary to explain that there is a very good market for this field in Iran and neighboring countries. Building ships for Persian Gulf countries in Iran is very cost-effective, and the technical knowledge of this work exists in Iran, and cooperation between Iranian and international companies can create new paths in this field.

Iran’s position in the field of marine research, especially in the southern sea basin of the country, is not only comparable to other countries in the region, but also as a pioneer in marine science studies and research (with emphasis on fisheries resources and marine environment), it is an expert in this field. This issue has been made due to the priority of applied research and development of fisheries, with emphasis on the identification and evaluation of economic fish.

The first Iranian fisheries research ships named “Rashgo” and “Sangsar” were given to Professor Blegvad and Danish Løppenthin by the Iranian government in 1937, and the results of the scientific investigations during 1937-1938 were published in a valuable four-volume collection (1944).

After that, the high-speed vessel “Persia” (Iran’s first fishery research vessel) and the “Dargahan” (Spain) and “Lavan” or “Laver” (Italy), “Firdous” (Germany) and “Akhtar” (Sri Lanka) class vessels as modern fishing vessels – the country’s fisheries research, they joined the country’s research fleet in order to advance the research goals and were provided to the southern fisheries research centers.

Their mission has been to identify and evaluate aquatic resources, determine physical-chemical conditions and investigate marine pollution.

Simultaneously with the marine research activities in the south, the fishing-fishery research ship “Gilan” (Russia-East Germany) was also used with the same goals by the Fisheries Science Research Institute of the country, and significant applied researches were carried out regarding the evaluation of sturgeon and bony fish stocks and Also, the ecological conditions of the Caspian Sea. After being stopped for about 10 years, this ship resumed its activity in 2018, after major repairs and complete equipment.

The necessity of conducting research and meeting the needs of the country’s marine research caused that from the late 80s to the 90s, suitable conditions were provided for the exploitation of the facilities and also the conditions for the country’s research vessels to play a more serious role in the marine industry. In this connection, organizations, research centers and engineering companies related to the sea to build and equip or purchase research vessels in various fields of fisheries: “Research 1 and 2”, “Kavosh” (National Fisheries Research Institute) and “Caspian Explorer”. (Caspian Sea Whale International Research Institute), “Persian Gulf Probe”, “Persian Gulf Hydrography”, seismography and exploration: “Exploration” (Oil Exploration Operations Company) and “Akam 60 and 110” (Akam Sanat Asia Engineering Company) significant activities.

In the meantime, the construction of the “Persian Gulf Probe”, as the first modern and advanced oceanographic research vessel in the region, by the experts of the country’s marine industry organization, is considered a turning point in the beginning of the study-research programs of the southern seas of the country. This vessel was launched in 2015 and since the beginning, it has carried out the environmental monitoring programs of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman with the cooperation and participation of organizations, research institutions and maritime universities of the country and has made valuable achievements.

Looking at the past and the current situation of the country’s marine research fleet, it is clear that despite the many ups and downs in the operation and use of the country’s fleet of more than 30 ships (during the past years), unfortunately, there are many reasons, including the lack of credits and a specific budget line for maintenance. (especially research centers) and handed over to the private sector, human error in navigation and seafaring (collision or sinking), the end of the useful and operational life of the float, has caused a significant number of fleets to become inactive and decommissioned.

Currently, out of 14 vessels active in the field of marine research and exploration, six are in the field of fisheries, one is in the field of oceanography, and seven are in the field of exploration and operations (geology, hydrography, mapping). Meanwhile, only the vessels “Firdous 1”, “Persian Gulf Explorer”, “Iran Abnagar”, “Iktashaf” and “Akam” are registered with the international code of IMO and can be identified in the marine traffic tracking system.

According to researchers and experts, the country’s research needs by the end of 2025 are 32 types of research vessels, which requires investment and cooperation with Iranian and international companies and organizations.

One of the main services of classification institutes at the global level is to control the structure and machinery of vessels in terms of quantity and quality to ensure an acceptable level of safety in compliance with operational conditions. Asia Classification Institute provides the services of classification inspections of existing vessels after the inspection based on the exclusive rules of the institute by issuing two certificates of hull and machinery at the highest level.

The World Maritime Organization, as the main and most comprehensive global organization, approves various laws and conventions with the consensus of the member states in order to coordinate maritime activities between countries. By joining these laws and conventions, countries are required to implement and monitor their implementation. Iran has joined many of the most important international conventions in the fields of safety, environmental protection and law.

With the advancement of management knowledge in various fields, marine industries were equipped with innovative and highly efficient methods in order to ensure the safety of vessels. A significant part of the current methods in this regard are in force according to various international laws according to the ISM Code.

According to the requirements of the ISM Code, all eligible vessels must have a management structure on the shore and on the vessel that is based on risk identification and reduction processes and documentation. For this purpose, the management companies are responsible for the establishment of the safety management structure and will be audited by qualified auditors in specific time intervals in the two departments of the shore office and on the vessel.

Radio communication is very important in the maritime industry. The importance of this communication is due to the use of radio equipment by all vessels to establish contact with the land and to send and receive any information related to possible accidents and human lives, which can lead to the improvement of maritime safety. Therefore, equipping the traffic control centers and coastal radio stations of Iran’s ports as described below in establishing healthy and favorable communication in radio communication can guarantee the safety of the users of this communication method.

According to the requirements of the ISM Code, all eligible vessels must have a management structure on the shore and on the vessel that is based on risk identification and reduction processes and documentation. For this purpose, the management companies are responsible for the establishment of the safety management structure and will be audited by qualified auditors in specific time intervals in the two departments of the shore office and on the vessel.

According to field research, the navigation and telecommunication systems of Iran’s ships and ports have been updated and are in accordance with international standards, but the increasing needs of this part of Iran’s maritime industry will require the investment of Iranian companies in cooperation with international partners.

The dredging industry in Iran has been growing over the past two decades despite its ups and downs. The volume of dredging operations has increased from about one million cubic meters in 1978 to ten million cubic meters in 1998. However, less attention has been paid to the management of dredged materials, especially from an environmental point of view. Statistics show that 10 to 25 percent of all dredged materials in the world are contaminated with organic substances such as petroleum derivatives and hydrocarbons or mineral substances such as heavy metals. There is not a lot of information about this in Iran, but some sampling of materials dredged in Nowshahr and Imam ports indicates that similar problems exist in the area of these ports in Iran. Environmental management of dredged materials is based on monitoring the discharge of dredged materials on land or sea. Dumping of dredged materials on land (Land Disposal) takes place inside ponds built with dykes or inside landfills. Dumping of uncontaminated dredged material on land for beach construction, creation of artificial islands or agricultural purposes is also common. Offshore disposal usually takes place at a depth of 30 meters or more. If the dredged materials are contaminated, they should be discharged in Confined Disposal Facility (CDF).

The dredging industry in Iran has a lot of room for work due to the lack of basic facilities, and it is hoped that Iranian companies and organizations can put dredging of beaches and rivers on their agenda with more detailed planning and international cooperation.

The power of the Iranian naval forces in maintaining and protecting the territorial waters, as well as the up-to-date weapons and equipment, is well-known. As an equipment-oriented force, the Iranian Navy has achieved numerous achievements in various areas in addition to preserving and protecting the territorial waters of Iran by using its diverse equipment and fleet.

The surface and subsurface areas are also among these, the Iranian armed forces entered into the construction of the fleet in the years after the end of the Iraq war. The Jamaran destroyer in the Moj class is the first semi-heavy surface vessel built in Iran, which entered the Southern Fleet of the Navy in 2008 and is still operating. Iran’s armed forces, which had now been able to localize the knowledge of designing and building destroyers, have made important achievements in the field of destroyers since that year, which include; Destroyers Sahand, Damavand 1 and recently Dana were added to the Nadaja fleet.

In the field of missile-launching frigates, Kaman-class frigates are among the other indigenous achievements of the Iranian Navy, which play an important role in the field of monitoring Iran’s territorial waters and can ensure Iran’s security in this field.

In the field of submarines, Iran did not have any submarines until the 1990s, and after an agreement with the former Soviet Union, it was able to purchase three Kilo-class submarines from this country. But only subsurface purchase was not enough, but its overhaul and restoration had to be done as well. The country that made these subsurfaces did not provide proper services in the field of overhauling these equipments, and Iranian specialists were able to do this work inside.

In the field of subsurface purchase, the Ghadir class and Fateh class subsurfaces are Iran’s next achievements in this field. By building these two classes of submarines, the Iranian Navy was able to become self-sufficient in the field of submarines and take an important step towards self-sufficiency with their mass production. Of course, the subsurface al-Sabahat is also another Iranian naval achievement for the commando units.

The Iranian Navy, like other Iranian military departments, has entered the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and drones and has achieved different achievements. One of the achievements is the Pelican vertical flying drone and the other is the sea-based Simorgh drone. In addition to facilitating the observation and monitoring of territorial waters, these UAVs can also play an important role in the international missions of the Iranian Navy. The role that has become more apparent in recent years with the construction of the Makran marina.

The field of offense is very important along with the field of defense and one should always try to improve it. A field whose main tool can be considered the use of different missiles and torpedoes. In recent years, especially in the 1990s, Iran’s defense industries have made good achievements in the field of cruises, in line with other countries, due to the many advances in weapons in the world. From cruises with a range of 50 km to 1,000 km, all of which are domestically produced.

Noor, Raad, Qadir, Nasr and Abu Mehdi cruise missiles and many others are the latest achievements of the armed forces in the field of cruise missiles.

The Great Iran Air Force has all kinds of aircraft, helicopters and planes such as “Sikorsky CH-53C Stallion”, “Sikorsky SH-3”, “Combat Support Helicopter 212”, “Fokker 27”, “Dassow Falcon 20” and “Helicopter 206” has and continues to play a powerful role in providing Iran’s military security, and they form the Iranian Air Force Squadron and play an important role in advancing the various operations of this unit; Therefore, in the following, explanations are given about the facilities and capabilities of these helicopters and airplanes.

Sikorsky CH-53C Stallion, Sikorsky SH-3C, Combat Support Helicopter 212, as well as Fokker 27 Friendship, Jet Falcon 20 and Air Commander are among the most important flight equipment of this unit.

Today, in most countries of the world that have sea coasts, attention is paid to sea tours; Maritime transportation, water sports and recreation and other entertainments related to the beach and offshore are at the top of tourism programs. The coasts of Iran also attract many tourists every year with the attractions of its pristine beaches.

Greater Iran has a relative advantage in the development of coastal and marine tourism due to its special geographical location and access to the sea in the north and south. The Caspian Sea in the north of Iran and the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea in the south have provided a suitable location for access to the sea. But what is more important in this area is beach tourism.

The coasts of the Persian Gulf, being located in the warm and tropical region of the globe and adjacent to the 4 provinces of Bushehr, Khuzestan, Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan, have one of the most beautiful marine phenomena in the world.

The existence of beautiful islands and the habitats of many migratory birds, unique marine species and sea corals has a very high potential for marine tourism, but despite these hidden and obvious capacities, only in a limited area of Kish Island are activities related to marine and coastal tourism thriving. .

Qeshm Island is 2.5 times bigger than Singapore and Bahrain and is known as the paradise of marine corals. This island has always been a very prosperous commercial and shipping center since the distant past. Since 2000, Qeshm has been recognized as a commercial free island. According to the authorities, this island has the capacity to receive 1.5 million passengers during the holidays.

The vast marine mangrove forests are one of the most beautiful tourist attractions of this island, and thousands of birds from around the world and native birds of Iran migrate to this island every year.

Chabahar is also located in the far southeast of Iran, next to the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean, and among its beauties, we can mention the blooming hills of Lipar Lagoon, fig trees, temples, mangrove forests, historical Tin Castle, miniature mountains and Martian hills.

Other southern islands of Iran also have many tourist attractions and beach tourism. Mino Island in the middle of Arvand with tangled trees and tall reeds is the habitat of all kinds of birds and aquatic animals and has the ability to become a special island for tourists.

The four-season climate of our country has made it possible for those interested in coastal and sea areas to travel to the best beaches of Iran in different months of the year. From lush and dense forests to rocky and sandy beaches, they can be seen in every corner of our country. Visiting each of the southern or northern coasts of Iran has its own pleasure.

Creating beach camps, marine parks, providing water and beach sports equipment and facilities, and providing security along the beaches are among the measures that investors in this area are looking for to attract more tourists to coastal areas.

Providing unloading, loading and warehousing services of all kinds of goods and containers in the most important and active ports of Iran using infrastructure, buildings, efficient equipment, specialized and experienced manpower in order to play an effective and active role in the supply chain of business partners and customers.

Also, management of an advanced fleet of service vessels (dredging and towing) in order to provide safe traffic and berthing of all types of commercial ships in ports under management.

Iran’s recent developments in the field of ports and shipping:

Unloading and loading 107 million tons since the beginning of the year

Iran’s naval position in the fleet sector ranks 17th among countries in the world, and in terms of the number of registered ships, we have more than 13,000 ships and the number of sailors on board reaches more than 120,000 people. Unloading and loading operations since the beginning of the year have been 107 million tons and we have grown significantly in the field of transit. In addition, since the beginning of this year, we have had 53,000 ships arriving at the ports, which is a very large number, and these ships have entered and left safely.

Movement of 7.5 million sea passengers during the year

In the field of sea passenger movement, we have had 7 million and 500 thousand passengers and Bandar Abbas is supposed to become the largest sea passenger zone of the country and a lot of credit has been considered with the cooperation of the private sector to Nakhel Nakhda Port, Shahid Haqqani Port and Hormuz port to become a big tourism zone in Iran. Since the beginning of the year, 62 half-finished projects have been put into operation, and the activity related to the country’s waterways with electronic monitoring of waterways for the purpose of maritime control and surveillance is considered.

Warnings about the supply of naval manpower

5 maritime universities established in the maritime domain provided power for public and private companies, and in the field of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in marine sciences, and since they have to spend their final year at sea, this issue will cost 10 thousand dollars. had This lack of financing means the destruction of the maritime industry in the next 20 years, and we must say that we will not have seafarers in the next 15 years. If the current trend continues, the port organization with 53,000 sea traffic in the country will not have people who will take control of these ships in the next 5 years. Despite the existence of universities, we are facing problems in the post-graduate department in the maritime field, and we do not have the possibility to train students for the entire country, and we hope that this problem will also be solved in the budget law with the necessary support. .

30 million tons capacity of Iran’s naval fleet

The capacity of the country’s marine fleet is more than 30 million tons because some fleets are not under the country’s flag due to sanctions. The Ports Organization is responsible for monitoring and controlling territorial waters, more than 50 maritime conventions and regulations have been added to its duties, and we must know that it also has responsibility in the coastal sector because the construction of any structure on the coast affects the sea.

Fishing activity from the seas has a very long history, but in the official form of the Iranian Fisheries Organization, in its modern and organizational form, it is a younger organization compared to other agricultural sub-sectors.

Aquaculture using river water, agricultural water and springs has a very short history compared to sea fishing. Shrimp farming, which is one of the valuable potentials of this agricultural sub-sector, was launched in the last two decades, which indicates that the activity is young.

Despite the rapid and noteworthy growth of aquatic production in Iran from the 60s to the 80s, unfortunately, due to the rapid management changes in the 80s of the Iranian Fisheries Organization and as a result, the aquatic productions in the country faced stagnation and slow growth and had negative growth in some activities.

Despite its high capacities, Iran’s fishing industry is facing bottlenecks in terms of being influenced by the weaknesses of the country’s macroeconomics.

The fisheries sub-sector of Iran is younger than other activities of the agricultural sector, so there is scope for increasing employment, developing production and supplying healthy food, as well as earning export income with a high capacity.

The most important of these capacities are:

– The increasing demand for the domestic consumption of aquatic animals in the country and the demand of export markets.

– Taking advantage of the world’s current knowledge

– Lack of specialized manpower

– Existence of valuable areas for aquaculture and expansion of fish and shrimp farming.

– Suitable capacities for the development of sturgeon production and fish breeding in cages.

– The possibility of using the water resources of gardens and agricultural fields for aquaculture, the possibility of using water resources behind dams and strengthening water herding in natural and artificial lakes.

The infinite capacity of exploiting sea salt water is an activity that not only has no limits, but in addition to providing an increase in aquatic production, income for coastal dwellers, employment for coastal dwellers, and the development of the southern and northern regions of the country, and sea water resources that are facing excessive pressure. It relieves this pressure. These activities are very interesting due to the lack of fresh water in the country’s water crisis. The efficiency of the created infrastructure and the existing knowledge and technological power, especially equipping the country’s processing units and obtaining valid international certificates, especially the EC code for export to the European Union, Russia and Southeast Asian countries, have provided the basis for increasing the production and export of aquatic products. Despite all the adversities, the activists of the aquatic sector together with all the people of the country have taken successful steps and as evidenced by the statistics, the progress indicators of this sector have even exceeded the global standards. Due to the efforts of the private sector, the per capita consumption of fish in our country has grown by 900% in the period after the victory of the Islamic Revolution; While the world has only grown by 100% during this period. Currently, the country’s aquatic products are exported to 55 countries in the world; Therefore, there is no doubt that the country’s aquaculture industry is in sync with the global standards, which is unique in the pressured economy of our country. In addition, the growth of aquaculture in our country is more than that of the world, which is a unique record in our country’s economy.