Iran installs giant offshore oil rig at Persian Gulf despite sanctions

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran has installed a massive domestically manufactured offshore drilling platform at a key oilfield in the Persian Gulf, marking a significant milestone for the country’s energy sector despite years of international sanctions restricting access to foreign technology and investment.

According to a report published Monday by Shana, the news service of Iran’s Oil Ministry, the P4 platform was installed at the Reshadat oilfield, located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf.

Weighing an estimated 6,200 metric tons, the platform is the largest of its kind ever installed in Persian Gulf oilfields, the report said.

Shana said the platform was designed, engineered, constructed and installed entirely by Iran’s state oil company, its subsidiaries and domestic technical specialists.

The new facility is expected to increase production at the Reshadat oilfield by 35,000 barrels per day and enable the injection of 80,000 barrels of water per day to help maintain reservoir pressure and sustain production levels.

Iranian engineers completed the installation using a complex “float-over” operation, a technique that requires extensive planning and advanced operational capabilities.

According to the report, construction of the P4 platform faced repeated delays over recent years, largely because sanctions limited Iran’s access to foreign investment, equipment and technology.

The installation was completed despite disruptions caused by the recent conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel, during which parts of the country’s energy infrastructure were reportedly targeted.

Since 2018, when the United States imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, Tehran has increasingly relied on domestic investment, engineering expertise and locally developed technology to expand and maintain production at its oil and gas fields.

The completion of the P4 platform is the latest example of Iran’s efforts to strengthen its energy infrastructure through indigenous capabilities while operating under continued economic restrictions.