Iran plans to expand its container fleet in order to extend forward coverage beyond all frontiers as the country sees Western sanctions being lifted as early as January, a senior official says.

Iran�s shipping was among the first sectors hit by US-led sanctions regime which barred the country�s liners from calling at US and European ports. The regime is to be dismantled soon, allowing�Iran to put forward a shopping list for giant vessels.

The country�s biggest operator, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), wants to put out orders for Triple E vessels which can carry more than 18,000 containers, its chairman Mohammad Saeidi said.

IRISL�s current fleet includes 158 container vessels, dry bulk carriers and tankers which are expected to return to international�traffic in early 2016.

�We expect sanctions to be lifted in January under the comprehensive agreement between Iran and the West. We�ve been away for too long and our priority is to re-enter the international market,� The Wall Street Journal quoted him as saying.

�We have 41 container ships of up to 14,000 containers, but we want to join the big league and Triple Es are a priority,� Saeidi said in interview on the sidelines of the Danish Maritime Days shipping conference, The Journal reported.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] IRISL chairman Mohammad Saeidi says Iran we will complete over the next month how many ships it needs.[/caption]

Once it has built up a sufficient capacity, the IRISL plans to forge an alliance with the world�s top 15 container operators which control the busiest trade routes by sharing vessels, networks and port calls.

The IRISL �has been touring European countries with major shipping clusters such as Greece, Germany, Cyprus, France and Denmark, to lay the groundwork�,�Saeidi said.

�Over the next month we will complete how many ships we need. We will then engage in talks with financiers and yards for orders,� he added.

For its expansion, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines will tap Chinese banks which are providing billions of dollars in loans provided that orders go to the Asian country's�shipyards.

International shipping lines are already stepping up port calls to Iran as the country�s massive maritime trade sector is emerging from the sanctions.

France�s CMA CGM, the world�s third largest container shipping group, was the latest major operator to�resume services to Iran in August.

�We are a market of 80 million people and our message is that Iran is once again open for business,� Saeidi said.

By Press TV