TEHRAN, Sep. 16 (MNA) – President Nicolas Maduro says Venezuela has received an advanced oil tanker from Iran as part of a bilateral contract amid increasing cooperation between Tehran and Caracas in various fields.

“We have just received a ship with the most advanced engineering and technology in the world,” Maduro said according to Venezuelan state TV. He said that the ship was manufactured by Iran upon Venezuela’s order.

The oil tanker “now comes to serve as a cargo ship for our revolutionary PDVSA,” he added. 

This is the third Iran-made oil tanker delivered to Venezuela. The South American country received the second tanker on June 11, 2022.

The second tanker was of Aframax type with a deadweight between 80,000 and 120,000 metric tons (mt) which can carry 113,000 mt or 750,000 barrels of oil. The 250-meter-long vessel is equipped with a 21,000 horsepower engine and three diesel generators that are capable of producing 900 kilowatts of electricity.

Maduro said in June that the fourth tanker will also join the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company (PDVSA) in 2024, marking the conclusion of a 2006-signed contract on four oil tankers between the two states.

The tankers are produced by Iran Marine Industrial Company (Sadra) located along the Persian Gulf coast in Bushehr province.

ZZ/PressTV