Tasnim � Under a contract with Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, the Defense Ministry is going to manufacture 44 advanced watercraft for civil application in the country.

Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami and Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami signed a $500 million contract, under which the Defense Ministry has undertaken to manufacture 44 modern vessels for the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran.

The defense minister said the agreement would cut Iran�s reliance on foreign countries to supply its demands for civil vessels.

Under the contract, the Defense Ministry will manufacture various types of vessels with civil application, including rescue and relief vessels, dredging ships, fireboats, marine pollution skimmers, as well as passenger boats for promoting the tourism industry.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.