Iran Known as Largest Maritime Trade Power in ME Region
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran, which possesses 942 equipped vessels, is the largest maritime trade power in the Middle East region, accounting for more than one-third of the ships in this region, the economic department of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reported.
In its report on the situation of the shipping fleet in the Middle East region, the CIA Economic Department said the Islamic Republic of Iran owned the largest maritime trade power in the Middle East in 2022.
According to this report, Iran possessed 32 bulk carriers, 31 container ships, 83 oil tankers, 393 general cargo vessels and 403 ships of other types in 2022.
Among the 12 countries in the Middle East region, Iran owned the highest number of commercial ships in 2022, followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which possessed 636 vessels.
The number of Iranian ships is 306 more than that of the United Arab Emirates, the report added.
Moreover, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL)’s fleet is two times larger than that of the shipping fleet of Saudi Arabia, it added.
The report put the number of Saudi Arabia’s vessels in 2022 at 413 and introduced this Arab country as the third-largest sea trade power in the Middle East region.
