SHANA� � Iranian oil industry has signed 13 contracts worth roughly �1.5 billion with 14 local firms to enhance and maintain oil production.

The deals were signed on Monday morning in a ceremony held in Tehran between the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) and the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC), as employers, and 14 Iranian companies as contractors.

The total value of these contracts is more than �1.527 billion, and with the implementation of these contracts, 185,000 barrels will be added to the country's crude oil production capacity.

These 13 contracts, which will be implemented in the five provinces of Khuzestan, Fars, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Bushehr and Hormozgan, entail 11 contracts by NISOC and two others by IOOC.

Accordingly, the contracts of Zilaei project and Chalingar and Garangan project were both signed with Global Petrotech Kish Company; Ramin project with Persia Oil and Gas Industry Development Company, Mansourabad project with Petro Iran Development Company, Siahmakan project with Pasargad Energy Development Company, Maroon 2, 5 and 6 projects with Petrotenco, Maroon 1 and 4 projects with North Drilling Company (Sina Energy Gostar Holding), Maroon 3 project with the Iran Offshore Engineering and Construction Company, Balaroud project jointly with the National Iranian Drilling Company and Jahanpars Engineering and Construction Company, Ahvaz 1 and 4 projects jointly with Qeshm Oil and Energy Industries and Maroon Karan.

The contract for Resalat Project of IOOC was signed jointly with the Iran offshore engineering and construction Company and the Intelligent Solutions Inc., and the Forouzan project was also signed jointly with Petropars and Mobin Sazeh Gostar.