Managing-Director of the National Iranian Offshore Oil Company (NIOOC) Mahmoud Zirakchianzadeh said that Iran is operating the world's largest floating oil terminal in the Persian Gulf, adding that the terminal can handle exports of 2.2 million barrels of oil.
The storage terminal is located near Bahregan oil field in the southern Bushehr Province.
He also said that Iran will increase its oil storage capacity in the Persian Gulf by 8.1 million barrels with the construction of new storage facilities.
"By the middle of the next (Persian calendar) year (beginning March 20, 2013), nearly 8.1 million barrels will be added to the crude oil storage capacity of Iran in the Persian Gulf," Zirakchianzadeh announced.
Earlier, Iran had also announced plans to build a new oil terminal outside the Strait of Hormuz to protect its exports against potential problems in the Persian Gulf and to boost shipments of Caspian oil.
Head of the Iranian Oil Terminals Company (IOTC) Pirouz Moussavi said in May that Iran plans to build a new export terminal at Bandar Jask, on the Sea of Oman coast of Iran.
It would be connected to the Caspian Sea port of Neka using a 1 million barrel a day pipeline.
Moussavi said the new terminal would enable Iran to export more oil from Caspian producers and provide a fall-back option for Iran's main export terminal at Kharg Island if there were any problems exporting Iran's own oil from the Persian Gulf.
"In the event of any type of problem in exporting crude oil from the Kharg terminal, this terminal can provide back up for exports," he said.
Moussavi said the planned terminal outside - would have a storage capacity of 20 million barrels and cost around $2.2 billion to build. Kharg has 22 million barrels of storage.
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Iran is running the world's largest floating oil terminal in the Persian Gulf near Bahregan field in Bushehr province, an oil official said, adding that the country can export over 2.2 million barrels of crude using the terminal.
News ID 183476
