BANDAR ABBAS - The first Iranian-made ocean liner dubbed as ""Iran-Arak"" was launched to the high seas in the Persian Gulf Thursday, the Mehr news agency reported on Friday.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended in the launching ceremony which was held also in the presence of the minister of industries and mines.
The ocean liner is 185 meters long, 30 meters wide, and has the capacity of carrying over 30,000 tons of cargo, or some 2,200 containers. It has been made by Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Company (ISOICO), the report added.
Some 500 billion rials (about $50 million) has been invested to build the ship. Two foreign companies have cooperated in the project.
The Iran-Arak is the first of the five ocean container ships which Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) is scheduled to build.
Another ship named Iran-Shahrekord was launched tentatively. It should pass complementary tests to get certified for launching into the open seas, IRNA news agency reported.
Minister of Industries and Mines Ali-Akbar Mehrabian said in the ceremony that forty industries are directly related with the shipbuilding industry.
For the next two decades, Iran will need to add 500 ships to its fleet, including 120 oil tankers. Domestic production will cost some $20 billion. However, if the ships are bought from abroad the cost will triple to $60 billion.”
The two ocean liners are second to none in the Middle East