The Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil Hayyan Abdul Ghanni affirmed the ministry keenness to support and the Iraqi Oil Tankers Company to resume its activity in the maritime transport of crude oil and not to be limited only for transporting small quantities of oil products, stressing on the importance of restoring the vital role of the national transporter in global energy markets, and the need to strengthening historical position, which it was having in the seventies and eighties of the last century, when it was arriving and transporting oil products to Europe, Asia and Latin America, by more than 2 million barrels.
This came during H.E visit to the company headquarters in Basra and meeting with the Director General and employees.
The Minister noted the need to resume work to transport Iraqi crude oil by providing the company with a fleet of modern tankers with large tonnages as it was previously in Iraq before it was destroyed by the wars, noting that the ministry had attempts to restore the company work after 2003, but the challenges and obstacles were significant, but in spite of that it was able to own some tankers for the transportation of petroleum products.
Abdul-Ghani added that the ministry supports purchasing of modern tanks to transport crude oil and seeks to rebuild and rehabilitate the old tanks, and that the company owns a fleet of internationally approved tanks, and the management of the company has the choice between going to buy alone or in cooperation with internationally accredited companies. H.E stressed that what matters to us is to speed up the rebuilding of a new fleet to return its activity to its previous era and better in transporting oil and its products and elevating them to the ranks of international companies, in addition to the need to rehabilitate the personnel specialized in the field of maritime transport operating on the fleet.
The Minister met with the senior staff of the company and listened to their during the meeting to develop the company work. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Minister honored 6 naval officers who graduated with distinction from the Arab Naval Academy in Egypt, stressing that the responsibility rests with them to develop their skills and lead the planned fleet besides their colleagues in the company.
The Director General of the company, Ali Qais, gave a brief about the company activity, which was founded in 1972. As the company was able to achieve advanced and important steps in the field of work, it is keen, after meeting with the Minister, to develop a plan to increase the number of tankers of various capacities and sizes, indicating that the company had A fleet of more than 24 large tankers destroyed as a result of the wars, and Qais revealed the launch of a new oil tanker early next year to join the current naval fleet.
