TEHRAN, Feb. 03 (MNA) – Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said signing of a contract to hand the construction of operational vessels of Ports & Maritime Organization Of Iran to the Ministry of Defense is a major step taken to cut off dependency on foreign countries.

The Iranian ministry of defense and ministry of urban development have signed a contract worth €9.5 million on the construction of four vessels on Sunday.

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Hatami said a Memorandum of Understanding is signed to hand the construction of operational vessels requierd by Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran in the areas of Search and rescue (SAR), dredgers, fireboats, pollutant-collecting and tourism and recreational vessels, to the Ministry of Defense.

Two search and rescue vessels will have a length of 19.3 meters, a width of 5 meters, a 1.5 meters draft, and a speed of 40 knots, and will be built under a 5.1 million euro contract within 15 months. The other two vessels for carrying safety control officers will be built with a length of 18.2 m, a width of 4.6 m, a draft of 1.1 m, and a speed of 25 knots. 

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