Iran is participating in the 51st Berlin International Tourism Fair (ITB) which began on March 8.

The inaugural ceremony of the fair in the German capital was attended by the Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Zahra Ahmadipour.

Iran has set up 24 pavilions and tourism offices in the expo to introduce the Islamic Republic’s tourism potentials and capacities.

Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai inaugurated the international event which will run until March 12.

Tour operators, online booking portals and hotels, and many other service providers from over 180 countries are presenting their products and services at the event.

Known as the World’s Largest Travel Trade Show, ITB Berlin focuses on the ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017’ — a slogan introduced by the UNWTO earlier this year.

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The first South Korean ship will be delivered to Iran in March 2018 based on a deal to buy 10 Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV) from the Asian state, announced the managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).

Mohammad Saeedi added it is a 14,500 TEU container ship built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. (HHI), Tasnim News Agency reported.

He said after receiving the first ship, the remaining ships will be handed over to the IRISL at monthly intervals.

The IRISL signed the deal with the HHI to buy 10 ships from the world’s largest shipbuilding company in December. Financed by South Korean banks, the contract was inked between representatives of the IRISL and the HHI on December 9, 2016.

Under the contract, valued at $650 million, Hyundai will build 14,500 TEU container ships and 50,000 DWT product tankers.

The contracts were parts of the IRISL’s plans to renovate its fleet at a total investment of $2.5 billion.

The company operates about 115 oceangoing vessels, but many of the ships are old and have been deemed unsafe to travel and cannot be insured.

The agreement marks Iran’s first deal with a foreign shipbuilder since the removal of anti-Tehran sanctions.

The sanctions were lifted after Tehran and the P5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany) finalized a lasting nuclear deal on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

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Iran was crowned AFC Beach Soccer Championship Malaysia 2017 champion on Saturday after beating the UAE 7-2 in Kuala Terengganu.

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M23 United Arab Emirates vs Islamic Republic of Iran – News Report

The UAE’s Haitham Mohamed opened the match with an impressive effort which Iran goalkeeper Peyman Hosseini saved well, but it was to be Iran which would draw first blood, Moslem Mesigar tapping home from close range to hand his side an early lead, the-afc.com reported.

Clearly, boosted by its goal, Iran immediately doubled its advantage through Hosseini’s impressive strike, before Iran skipper Mohammad Ahmadzadeh fired a volley, just inches wide.

With the UAE failing to make an impression, Iran struck again as Mohammad-Ali Mokhtari’s penalty rounded off a fine first period for the Iranians.

Kamal Ali then went close with a volley as the Emiratis tried to rally. However, worse was to come for them as Mesigar’s cool header found the net with keeper Humaid Jamal rooted to the spot.

It was to be Jamal who eventually dragged the UAE back into the game with an impressive finish four minutes from time, a brief glimmer of hope that shone even brighter when Haitham Mohamed scored following neat approach play.

It was, however, not to be for the UAE, as an accurate Ali Nazem free-kick, followed by Amir Akbari’s volley and a Mokhtari penalty sealed a win – and the title – for the Iranians.

President praise

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa congratulated Iran on capturing the Asian title.

In the earlier third and fourth place match, Japan edged out Lebanon 6-3 to secure its spot, alongside Iran and the UAE, as Asia’s three representatives at the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017, which will be played in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, from April 27 to May 7, 2017.

Shaikh Salman said, “I would like to congratulate Islamic Republic Iran who were a formidable force from start to finish. UAE should also be praised for their brilliant efforts in a captivating final.

“Along with Japan, Asia has three teams of outstanding quality and I am confident that they will do the continent proud in the Bahamas.”

The AFC President also paid tribute to Terengganu, Malaysia and the Local Organizing Committee for hosting a memorable tournament. “On behalf of the Asian football family, I must convey my appreciation to the Terengganu State Sports Council and the Terengganu State Government for their warm hospitality and displaying excellence in organizing a truly exceptional competition.

“This is the first time the tournament was hosted in Southeast Asia and it once again represents the AFC’s Vision and Mission to better engage with passionate football fans across the continent.”

The newly-crowned champion of Asia has been drawn to face Italy, Mexico and Nigeria in Group B at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2017. Meanwhile, runner-up the UAE is in Group C, where it will compete against Panama, Paraguay and Portugal. Third-placed Japan will feature in Group D comprising Brazil, Poland and Tahiti at the Bahamas Beach Stadium in Nassau.

Iran will open Asia’s campaign in the Bahamas against Mexico on April 27, 3.30 p.m. (local time). Japan and the UAE will begin their conquests the following day on April 28 against Poland and Paraguay at 3.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (local time) respectively.

Physical fitness, Iran’s trump card

Following the final showdown, Iran head coach Mohammad Hossein Mirshamsi praised the performance of his players, saying, “We were ready for this game and we knew that the UAE were tired as it was a tough semifinal game against Lebanon for them.

“I think today’s game was easy for us. The most important advantage that we had over the UAE today was physical fitness. We were thankful for that.

“Looking back, I think our most difficult match in this competition was our encounter against Japan in the semifinals, but we analyzed the UAE’s games and I believe we were ahead of them in terms of tactics and technique.”

Mirshami believed Asia is now well placed to challenge for honors come April’s global extravaganza in the Bahamas.

“It is good that Iran, the UAE and Japan are all representing Asia [at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup],” he said.

“I believe we now have a strong Asian presence at the World Cup.”

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Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME) announced that commodities valued at about $1.045 billion and weighing over 1.943 million tons were traded in its domestic trading and exports halls in February.

The exchange transacted in nearly 1.115 million tons of oil and petrochemical commodities valued at $556 million during the month, Fars News Agency reported.

Also its agricultural trading hall dealt in 90,000 tons of agricultural products worth $45 million in September.

The IME added that 727,000 tons of metal and mineral products worth more than $442 million were traded in its domestic and export halls.

The IME was set up on September 20, 2007 in accordance with Article 95 of the new law of Securities Market of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the merger of agricultural and metal exchanges of Tehran. The merger marked a new chapter in Iran capital market providing endless trading opportunities for customers both at home and abroad.

Various economic and industrial sectors benefit from the exchange. The IME currently offers various services, including:

Performing as the first market providing access to the initial offering of the listed commodities in the IME,

Price discovery and price making for Iran’s over-the-counter (OTC), secondary markets and end users,

Providing venue for government sales and procurement purchases,

Providing trading platform and user interface,

Providing clearing and settlement services,

Risk management,

Technology services,

Training market participants.

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An NIORDC official has reported on talks between Iran and Japan over implementation of a two-billion-euro project for upgrading Abadan Oil Refinery.

Managing Director of Abadan Oil Refinery Company Esfandiar Daemolzekr informed reportes about the latest development status of and the plan to reduce fuel oil production in the oldest oil refinery of the Middle East saying “in partnership with China’s Sinopec, the plan to equip, develop and upgrade Abadan refinery will kick off as of the new Iranian calendar year (to begin March 21).”

The official recalled that the second development contract was inked with the Chinese side following implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) asserting “the initiative aims to boost profitability and reduce fuel oil production form the current 40% to less than 20 per cent.”

He emphasized that the refinery project required three billion dollars of investment adding “desalination units and those for purification of diesel and kerosene will be also expanded.”

On the third development phase of Abadan refinery, Daemolzekr said about 40 per cent of crude oil is currently turned into fuel oil due to ageing distillation units though reduction of fuel oil output has been put on the agenda.

He underlined that 8000 jobs will be created during five years of developing phase two of the Iranian refinery highlighting that for expansion of Abadan complex phase 4, talks are underway with a Japanese firm and a contract will be inked soon.

He referred to the held negotiations with Japan’s JGC Corporation Engineering company for carrying out the fourth development phase of Abadan Oil Refinery maintaining “the project will require nearly two billion euros of financing and it will reduce fuel oil output to less than 10 per cent.”

The official at National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) went on to stress that Abadan Oil Refinery began operation about 107 years ago with an initial output of 2700 barrels though its production figure has fluctuated over years.

“The refinery is currently supplying 25 per cent of the country’s gasoline demand,” noted Daemolzekr concluding “Abadan Oil Refinery is presently yielding seven million liters of Euro-4 gasoline and 100LL avgas per day.”

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With implementation of new South Pars phases, Iran’s ethane output will double as the country will be able to rival US in producing the main feedstock for petrochemical industry.

Ethane remains as one of the world’s most strategic gas products which marks the main feedstock for petrochemical industries in various countries. A boost in ethane production and its conversion into various polymer and petrochemical products not only will lower raw sales but also will yield high value-added products usable in various industries.

Over the past two decades of development in South Pars joint field, he main focus has been always placed on recovering more natural gas and gas condensate as two main products to the extent that no ethane output has been envisaged for Phases 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 or 8.

Low ethane production figures in South Pars led to several difficulties in supplying feedstock to the country’s petchem industries as the rise in ethane-based units in Assalouyeh, an unofficial quota has been defined for balanced supply of feedstock to the petrochemical industry.

Presently, Iran’s ethane consumption capacity has mounted to about 5.250 million tons per year while the production figure for the strategic gas feedstock stood at only about three million tons.

On the other hand, the consumption figure for ethane is expected to experience a 4-4.1-million-ton rise and reach a total of nine million tons per year once ongoing petrochemical projects come on stream.

Nevertheless, implementation of South Pars Phases 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 by early April will add three million tons to Iran’s ethane output capacity. In simple terms, full operation of the five new phases will double the country’s ethane production giving a total of six million tons per year.

With the upsurge in ethane output, the quote system will be canceled in the petrochemical industry as demands of domestic manufacturers will be fully supplied, a measure which will in turn lead to increased output of downstream products like a variety of light and heavy linear polyethylene, propylene and polypropylene among the others.

Moreover, in time with the countdown for operation of five new South Pars phases and, Iran will also outshine Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as two traditional rivals, in production of ethane.

Meanwhile, it has been anticipated that full implementation of the remaining phases in the joint field, including Phases 13, 14, 22, 23 and 24, will add another three million tons to the country’s ethane production capacity in which case Iran will turn into one of the largest ethane producers both in the Middle East and even in the world.

The rise in ethane production from South Pars field is expected to increase the country’s petrochemical and polymer production by 10 to 20 per cent.

Over the past four years, the US has turned into one of the largest producers of ethane by relying on unconventional resources called shale gas. Development of Panama Canal has also turned America into the top exporter of ethane in the world.

Some market analysts belive that the rise in America’s ethane output remains as a threat to major manufacturers of petrochemical products in the Middle East like Iran, Saudi Arabi and Qatar.

Yet, it seems that the rise in exports of American ethane will exert no effect on development of the Iranian petrochemical industry as Iran can outweigh the North American rival for at least a 10-year period given the uplift in production of the strategic gas product.

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Iran is making rapid forays into the European crude oil market and selling its parcels to countries such as France, Italy, Greece and Spain, UK-based global shipping consultancy, VesselsValue said.

“Following the removal of sanctions, new players have emerged in the mix,” VesselsValue said in a report. Iran’s crude oil shipments have been delivered to destinations ranging from Malaysia and Singapore in Asia to Syria in Africa, it said, according to Platts.

In 2016, the number of voyages to deliver crude from Iran to France was estimated at 21, while Italy, Greece and Spain took 15, 14 and 13 shipments respectively, it said. This includes shipments in VLCC, Suezmaxes and Aframaxes.

In July 2012, the European Union had banned the import of Iranian crude by member countries and also the provisions of EU-linked insurance, which included protection and indemnity cover for any shipments of Iranian crude, irrespective of destination. The sanctions were relaxed in January last year.

There has also been a significant change in the geographical mix of owners whose ships were used to lift Iranian cargoes of crude.

Prior to the lifting of sanctions, the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) was the largest provider of tonnage to load cargoes from Iran, in addition to Iran-o Hind, Idemitsu Tanker, JX Ocean and KLine.

The Iranian ships were provided local insurance cover but there were always concerns over the possibility of any potential liability in event of maritime accidents in waters of importing countries which were permitted to purchase crude from Tehran.

During the period of sanctions, India permitted Iranian ships to call at Indian ports based on Tehran’s local insurance cover, China used ships of domestic companies while the Japanese government provided insurance cover only for VLCCs.

South Korea and Taiwan also took deliveries of cargoes purchased on a cost and freight (CFR) basis.

Now, “the group of shipowners lifting crude from Iran has changed dramatically to include those from Greece and Belgium”, VesselsValue said.

“The influx of owners from Greece has significantly increased the number of Suezmaxes plying on the ex-Iran voyages to 81 last year, compared with 15 in 2015,” the report said.

While NITC continues to be the market leader in terms of the number of ships deployed for loading crude from Iran, other companies with ships loading from the country include Dynacom, Delta Tankers, Euronav, Polembros, COSCO, Avin International, Olympic Shipping and Management, New Shipping and Thenamaris, it said.

Last month, two Iranian VLCCs, the ‘Huge’ and the ‘Snow’ delivered a mix of the country’s heavy and light crude grades to Shell at Rotterdam, according to trade sources and S&P Global Platts.

In late January, Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that the country was producing 3.9 mbd crude and was set to reach its 4 mbd target by the end of the Iranian year on March 20.

This will mark the return of Iran’s output to levels last seen before 2012, when international sanctions were imposed on the country.

A Platts survey released on February 6 estimated Iranian production at 3.72 mbd in January, up 30,000 bpd from December.

While cuts in crude production have been initiated under an OPEC-led agreement, Iran is allowed to boost its output to 3.797 mbd. If this materializes, Iran’s output would exceed its OPEC quota by more than 100,000 bpd.

This is expected to translated into more crude shipments from Iran. According to VesselsValue, the seaborne exports of Iranian crude are rising significantly.

The number of crude laden shipments from Iran increased to 563 last year — up from 66 in 2012 and 277 in 2015, their data showed.

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Figures show Fars province in general and Shiraz in particular were destinations of about 350,000 foreign tourists in the first 9 months of the fiscal year beginning March 21 2016.

Fars province is a gem in the constellation of historical monuments of Iran with over 3,500 registered sites; having been settled in different historical periods, the city has been the center of historic clashes which shaped the history of Iran or of cultural movements which shaped the literature of the country, with giants as Hafiz and Saadi which had been known in the west as pillars of Persian literature and culture.

Figures show that Fars province had been increasingly the destination of more and more tourists seeking the historical aura of the province and its center Shiraz. Official figures of Cultural Heritage Organization indicate that after JCPOA, the curve of foreign tourists coming to the province soared, flatting in 221 per cent of that before the deal.

The monuments in the province is rich in historical significance; Persepolis, Pasargadae, Eram Garden, etc., are destination for every tourists coming to the province. An international airport also provides the city the boon of being chosen as a regular destination. Mosayyeb Amiri, head of provincial Cultural Heritage Organization told Mehr News correspondent that roughly 350,000 tourists came to province since March 21 2016, with an increase of 221 per cent compared to that figure in the same time in 2015; “China, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain top the list of countries from where tourists come, with France with the largest number of tourists visiting province,” he said.

“Hafeziya, tomb of Hafiz, 14th century poet and sage, attracted over 1.33 million tourists, both domestic and foreign; this is the largest number of tourists a single monument could attract; Saadi tomb and garden is also a popular destination,” Amiri added.

“Diversity of historical monuments and an international airport make Shiraz stand out among historical centers of Iran; the city itself has many hotels with international caliber and accommodate foreign tourists,” said the official.

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A top-ranking Slovakian commerce delegation will visit Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) on March 07.

Headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Investment of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, the delegation of the central European country is slated to make a visit to TCCIMA on March 07.

The session will be also attended by Iran’s Minister of Economy Ali Tayebnia.

It is worth noting that representatives of 35 private sectors of Slovakia will accompany the trade delegation to Tehran in order to meet and talks with Iran’s economic activists.

The Slovak economy is a developed, high-income economy, with the GDP per capita equaling 76% of the average of the European Union in 2014. Slovakia successfully transformed from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven economy.

Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in private hands, and foreign investment has risen.

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PMO head said the volume activities in Shahid Rajaee Port Complex has increased by 35 per cent in the past 11 months.

Mohammad Saeidnejad, Managing Director of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), said implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) paved the path for purchasing required port equipment as reasonable prices and new items will arrive in the country in four months’ time.

He deemed expansion of oil terminals as a major priority for PMO asserting “financial resources have been supplied to the project while contractors will be chosen by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (to end March 21).”

“Over the past 35 months, volume of overall activities conducted at Shahid Rajaee Port has risen by 35 per cent,” he emphasized.

In the meantime, the growth figure stood at 34% for lauding and unloading, 51% for exports, 80% for transshipment as well as 35% for container operations.

At another part of his speech, Saeidnejad evaluated expansion of the country’s port network and strengthening of small ports as key strategies pursued by Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO).

“On the basis of latest technical studies, Iran enjoyed a total of 5,795 kilometers of coastlines including mainland, islands and navigable river coasts,” highlighted the official calling for more serious attention to the role played by PMO.

Deputy roads minister went on to underscore that Iran was placed among 20 top countries as regards shipping capacity index with an overall capacity of 15 million displacements.

Mohammad Saeidnejad also referred to significance of confronting sea pollutions saying “vessels for collecting marine pollution have been purchased though their delivery is still pending after years.”

Distance of Shahid Rajaee Port to Tehran is 1501 Km, 30 Km to the Hormozgan Province capital and 40 Km to the nearest airport. The connection of this port to Tehran and other parts of the country is possible via roads and railways.

Situated in Bandar Abbas, Shahid Rajaee Port connects to more than 80 ports worldwide and the highest rate of cargo transit through the country and towards the Central Asia passes through this port.

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