Shana -- A senior official with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) says signature of the newly-devised oil contracts will spur offshore oil and gas industries on to liveliness.

Gholareza Manouchehri, deputy managing director of NIOC for development and engineering, told a conference in Tehran on Tuesday that development of fields like Kish and North Pars gas fields has been considered in the new contract model.

He also said that Hangam, Forouzan and Reshadat fields will also develop under buyback or EPCF contracts.

Manouchehri also said the number of South Pars platforms will reach 40 in the near future which means more maintenance capabilities need to be developed by Iranian companies.

He expressed satisfaction at improvement of offshore industries in Iran over the past two decades, saying, however, that the country is still far from a favorable point in the field.