Iran’s shipbuilding ambitions are neither new nor credible
Resumption of interest in previously shuttered domestic Iranian yard capacity comes despite little evidence of progress being made in long-planned infrastructure upgrades, and slow progress on a four-ship order for Venezuela now 15 years under construction
The signing of a 20-year strategic co-operation agreement by Iran and Venezuela offered a perfect opportunity to showcase Iran’s domestic shipbuilding prowess with the delivery of a new aframax tanker. Despite the political promises being touted, neither the vessel nor the plans to revive Iranian shipbuilding were new or believable