The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) rose to the place of 22nd largest shipping line in the world, according to a March 2016 report of Alphaliner, the global information platform designed to serve the needs of the liner shipping industry.
IRISL was classified number 23 in February.
With owning 43 ships, IRISL currently has the capacity of 96,160 twenty-foot-equivalent unit (TEU), together with 2,288 TEU in order-book, the review indicates.
Based on Alphaliner latest report, the IRISL’s capacity takes up 0.5% of world’s shipping lines.
Last week, Managing Director of IRISL Mohammad Saeidi said the fleet is aiming to rise to the place of 15th largest shipping line in the next two years with a broad objective to get among the top ten in the course of five years.
U.S. sanctions barred IRISL fleet of about 170 vessels from sailing in international waters. They also prohibited international shipping companies from calling on Iranian ports.
International shipping lines are stepping up port calls to Iran as the country’s massive maritime trade sector is emerging from sanctions.
In the course of development, Saeidi said, Iran is negotiating with a number of European, Chinese and South Korean as well as domestic companies for building ships.
According to the official, the country has recently established joint shipping companies in Germany and Italy to cover the northern and southern ports of Europe.