TEHRAN, Oct. 31 (Shana) – Iran continued operation in its Persian Gulf crude oil exporting Kharq Island after the fire caused by lightning hitting the island’s offshore terminal on Saturday was put off, said an official in the Iranian Oil Terminals Company (IOTC).
“The fire was doused and the terminal’s tanks are in the operation with the input-output conservation under control,” said Ali Sardar, IOTC’s head of HSE.

“The HSE crew reacted shortly after lightning struck one of tanks and extinguished the fire in three hours,” he added, saying that based on the Met Office’s weather report which forecast thunderstorm in the area, pre-cautionary measures were adopted to avoid any incident.

Some 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil export is carried out from the Kharq Terminal.

In September, it was announced that Iran’s second terminal for exporting oil and gas after the Kharq Island will be constructed in the Jask port, southern Hormozgan province.

“The National Iranian Oil Company has plans to set up a hub for oil export in the Oman Sea,” Secretary of the Supreme Council of Iran’s Free Trade, Industrial, and Special Economic Zones Akbar Torkan said.

By SHANA