---

The Managing Director of National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Co. (NIOPDC) is reported to have claimed that Iran will gain up to a quarter of the Persian Gulf bunker market by the end of the Iranan calendar year.

According to Iran's Mehr news agency, Farid Ameri said 2.6 million tonnes of marine fuel had been sold to ships during the first 11 months of the current Iranian year, which commenced on March 21st 2009.

Ameri added: “By the end of current Iranian year, Iran will get its hands on 20-25% of the Persian Gulf bunker market if all plans are successfully implemented.”

In September 2009, Iran was reported to have sold almost 1.33 million tonnes of residual fuel between end-March and end-August compared to 1,098,000 tonnes during the same period the previous year, which represented an increase of 30 percent.

Meanwhile, 64,000 tonnes of marine gas oil was sold during the same period, which was 78 percent more than the previous year figure of 36,000 tonnes.

According to data published in December 2009, Iran was on course to earn around $1.2 billion from bunker sales by the end of the Iranian calendar year.

The estimates were $0.7 billion less than the $1.9 billion earnt through bunker sales of 2 million tonnes during the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 19 2009.