DM: Iran Building Oceangoing Warships

TEHRAN, May 15 (FNA)- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Saturday that the country is manufacturing oceangoing warships to enhance the Navy's power outside Iran's territorial waters.
"We, at the defense ministry, are moving in two lines (in building) oceangoing ships. One pertains to the warships which are being produced now and are capable of sailing in the oceans," Vahidi told reporters in the Central city of Isfahan.

Manufacturing large destroyers is on our other line of action at the defense ministry, he added.

Iran dispatched its first home-made oceangoing ship named 'Iran Alborz' to its first mission in August 2009.

Iran Alborz, which is civilian vessel, is capable of carrying 2,200 containers and weighs around 20,000 tons.

The Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) has announced that it plans to build five oceangoing ships, each 100 meters in length and 34 meters in width.

In recent years, Iran has made giant progress in building naval vessels.

A senior Iranian Navy commander announced earlier this year that the Navy plans to boost production of different types of home-made vessels.

"Martyr Tajvidi Shipbuilding Industries has plans for production as well as repair and maintenance of ships and vessels in future in a bid to prevent withdraw of foreign currency from the country's treasury," Commander of the Army's 4th naval zone Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi said.

"Right now, about 95% of the vessels needed by the country are built in Martyr Tajvidi Industries," Mousavi mentioned, adding that the Defense Ministry has created good capacities in its affiliated industries.

He further reiterated that increasing plans for vessel manufacturing is a main mission of the country's shipbuilding industries.