Iran
General Information for Iran
Geo-political:
Capital City: Tehran.
Nationality: (noun) Iranian, (adjective) Iranian.
Population: 66,429,284.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 98.
Number of Internal Airports: 133.
Major Languages Spoken: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri
2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%.
Economy:
Currency: 1 Iranian Rial (IRR) of 100 Toman.
Exchange Rates:
(as of January 2017)
USD 1.00 = IRR 32,400.00
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilisers, caustic soda, textiles, cement and other construction
materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production),
ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication and armaments.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Contiguous Zone: 24 n.m. Continental Shelf: natural prolongation. Exclusive Economic Zone: bilateral
agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf.
Coastline Extent: 2,440 km.
Climate: Mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast.
Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc and
sulphur.
Natural Hazards: Periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes.
Terrain: Rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous
plains along both coasts.
Average Temperatures:
| Month | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 8° C | -2° C |
| June | 34° C | 18° C |
| September | 32° C | 18° C |
ISPS COMPLIANCE:
Security contact details are as follows:
Tel: +98 (21) 8880 9329. Mobile: +98 (912) 313 7087. Fax: +98 (21) 8889 6377.
HB-10@ir_pmo.com
Mariners are requested to contact the above whenever their ships encounter any security
problems.
BALLAST:
Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME Sea Area
(RSA)) Ballast Water Management Regulation:
In light of the
Ballast Water Management Convention that replaced the voluntary guidelines and considering the specific provisions of
the Convention, it is desired to take the necessary steps to mitigate the risk of
introduction of harmful species and also to harmonise national and regional policies
to address the issue of ballast water in the RSA.
- 16° 39′ 00″ N, 053° 03′ 30″ E
- 16° 00′ 00″ N, 053° 25′ 00″ E
- 17° 00′ 00″ N, 056° 30′ 00″ E
- 20° 30′ 00″ N, 060° 00′ 00″ E
- 25° 04′ 00″ N, 061° 25′ 00″ E.
The RSA is defined as extending between the following geographic positions:
The area is the largest recipient of ship's ballast water. Annually, more than 50,000
vessels visit this area and discharge a large amount of ballast water. The RSA is
a semi-enclosed water body with intensely hot summers and short cool winters, extensive
air and water temperature fluctuation and relatively high salinity. It is also characterised
by high turbidity and low exchange of water with open waters. Therefore, there is
also a need to manage and control the spread of harmful aquatic species in ship's
ballast water by implementing a set of measures such as ballast water exchange outside
the RSA.
With effect from 1 November 2009, all ships, regardless of flag, will be required
to exchange and treat all ballast water taken up outside the RSA for the protection
of the marine environment. This comprises the states of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Taking into consideration the provisions of the Regulation B-4 of the
Ballast Water Management Convention , the following points should be observed:
- Vessels arriving from outside the RSA should undertake ballast water exchange en route in water over 200 n.m. from the nearest land and in water of least depth 200 m.
- If not possible for safety reasons, vessel should be expected to make minor deviations to areas within the 200 n.m. limit that can be identified as discharge area, so long as such areas are more than 50 n.m. from the nearest land in waters of least depth 200 m.
- If not achievable, ship shall provide the respective authority with the reason why she has not done so, and further ballast water management measures may be required, consistent with the Ballast Water Management Convention and other international laws.
Ballast water that has been treated with a ballast water treatment system approved
in accordance with IMO standards does not need to be exchanged.
Ships will be required to have on board an approved Ballast Water Management Plan
in accordance with the IMO standards. Ships should also have and maintain a Ballast
Water Record Book. From the date specified above, all the ships passing Strait of
Hormuz will be required to complete the Regional Ballast Water Reporting Form (RBWRF).
The ships will be inspected by the Port State Control Officers to ensure these regional
requirements are fully implemented.
For further assistance contact the local Agent or respected Port Authority or MEMAC
as the Regional Centre at
[email protected] at the earliest opportunity.
MEDICAL:
Medical facilities are reasonable in the major cities in Iran but poor in remote areas.
Many health professionals will speak some English.
Seek medical advice before travelling to Iran and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations
are up to date.
In the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated
that around 91,000 adults aged 15 or over in Iran were living with HIV; the prevalence
percentage was estimated at around 0.2% of the adult population, which equals the
prevalence percentage in the UK. Exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to
HIV/AIDS.
POLICE/AMBULANCE/FIRE:
Police Tel: 110. Ambulance Tel: 115. Fire Tel: 125.
REGULATIONS:
Any amount of money can be brought into the country, and carrying large amounts of
money is not considered a crime in Iran, though any person can only take a limited
amount of money out of the country.
Photography/Dress/Alcohol:
In Iranian ports, photography and drinking of alcoholic drinks are prohibited. All
crew, whether male or female, should strictly observe the Islamic way of dressing
(Hejab).
Importing, buying, selling and drinking of any kind of alcoholic drink is forbidden
in Iran.
Flag:
Vessels to fly the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran (flag is green, white and
red with a red emblem in the centre).
TIME:
GMT plus 3.5 hours. GMT plus 4.5 hours from 21 March to 21 September.
HOLIDAYS:
25 January (Arbaayn of Ashora); 2 February (Death of Prophet Mohammad); 21 February
(Birthday of Prophet Mohammad); 20 March (Nationalisation of the Oil Industry); 21-24
March (Nowouz (New Year)); 31 March (Islamic Republic Day); 2 April (Nature Day);
7 May (Martyrdom of Fatima); 4 June (Death of Imam Khomeini); 5 June (15th Khordad
Uprising); 16 June (Birthday of Imam Ali); 30 June (Ordainment of Prophet Mohammad);
17 July (Birthday of Imam Mahdi); 21 August (Martyrdom of Imam Ali); 31 August (Eid
e Fetr); 24 September (Martyrdom of Imam Sadegh); 7 November (Eid e Ghorban); 15 November
(Eid e Ghadir); 5 December (Tassoua); 6 December (Ashoura).
Some of the private and government offices are closed Thursday and Friday (weekend),
but most are closed only on Friday. All ports and terminals are open 7 days a week
including most holidays. Port operations are closed on Ashoura and on the first day
of New year.
NOTICES:
Document Wording:
The Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development advises that the term ``Arabian
Gulf'' should not be used in the documents of vessels calling at the country's ports.
The words ``Persian Gulf'' should follow the name of Iranian ports in the Persian
Gulf in all messages, example: ``Kharg Island Persian Gulf''.
In a circular dated 15 January 2005, the Ministry (previously known as Ministry of
Roads and Transportation) states that the term ``Persian Gulf'' is internationally
approved in accordance with the United Nations, and therefore should be used for all
cargo and vessel documentation.
In cases where ``Arabian Gulf'' is used instead of ``Persian Gulf'', the respective
Iranian ports will avoid providing port and marine services to the offending vessels
and their Agents.
BANKS:
Credit cards are very rarely accepted and one cannot rely upon them as a means of
payment. There are no cash machines or ATMs in Iran that accept UK bank cards. It
is also usually not possible to change travellers' cheques. Bring sufficient hard
currency (USD or EUR are the most useful). It is illegal to change money on the street.
CUSTOMS:
Freight:
Freight tax is payable on any freight earned in Iran for any export cargo loaded at
any Iranian port. Per Article 90 of Tax Law, freight tax is payable at the rate of
5% of gross freight, regardless of whether freight is collected in Iran or elsewhere.
There is no tax on import cargo freight regardless of where the freight is paid. In
other words, for cargo discharged in Iranian ports, even if freight is payable at
destination to be collected in Iran, there is no tax applicable.
VAT:
As of 20 March 2011, 4% VAT charges should be added to all the tariffs and rates related
to any Iranian ports.
SHORE LEAVE:
Travel advice available from UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
www.fco.gov.uk/
AUTHORITY:
Head Office:
Ports and Maritime Organization, PMO Building, South Didar Street, Shahid Haghani
Highway, Vanak Square, Tehran, Iran.
Tel: +98 (21) 8493 2221.
Fax: +98 (21) 8493 2248.
[email protected]
http://www.pmo.ir
Contact: Jalil Eslami, Director General of Maritime Affairs.
T: +98 (21) 8865 1116.
F: +98 (21) 8493 2675.
