The newly installed head of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) said the company is looking at the LNG shipping sector as the country re-enters global energy markets after sanctions were eased earlier this year.
Managing director Cirrus Kianersi said “NITC is ready to help export” LNG, despite the country not having any LNG export facilities currently and NITC not having any gas ships.
The country has the largest gas reserves in the world. But the 2012 imposition of sanctions halted development of export projects. An export project called Iran LNG was less than half completed by the time sanctions were imposed, and it’s unclear when the project might be restarted.
Iran has reached out to neighbouring Persian Gulf countries for piping natural gas to their LNG export facilities. Media reports have also said the country may look to use a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) to quickly serve international markets.
Kiarnesi also told IRNA that the country is interested in LPG shipping due to the country’s ongoing development of the South Pars gas field. The South Pars could unleash nearly 1 million tonnes per years of LPG into the seaborne market once it is developed.
