Head of the Iranian National Institute of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences Vahid Chegini[/caption]TEHRAN (Tasnim) An Iranian official expected that the official coming into service of the countrys oceangoing vessel would occur in spring or summer, noting that construction of the ship is currently 91 percent complete.
An official ceremony to unveil the oceangoing ship is to be held when it operationally joins the countrys fleet of vessels, Head of the Iranian National Institute of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences Vahid Chegini told Tasnim on Saturday.
He said the ship will be set afloat several times for mechanical tests before it finally comes into service.
Iran Ship Building and Offshore Industries Complex Co. (ISOICO) produced the countrys first oceangoing ship named "Iran-Arak". It was launched in 2009. It weighs over 7000 tons and is able to carry over 30,000 tons of cargo or 2,200 TEU.
Iran-Arak can accelerate to 32 knots (59.3 km/h) and is able to sail 25 days non-stop. The vessel, which has cost $50 million to construct, has a length of 185 meters, a beam of 30 meters, and a draft of 10 meters and uses more than 16.7 MW to reach 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h).
The second home-made oceangoing cargo ship, named Iran Shahr-E-Kord, was also tested successfully in May 2014. With a length of 187 meters and a width of 30 meters, the ship has the capacity to carry 2,200 containers.
By Tasnim News Agency
