The sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union to halt Iran's peaceful nuclear program now seem to be rather ineffective.
But Iranian crude oil imports rose in December to their highest since European Union sanctions took effect last July, helped in part by more tankers deployed, Reuters reported.
Since the start of 2013, two supertankers have joined Iran's trading fleet, with another three new vessels having arrived in recent months, according to industry sources and shipping data. Each vessel has a maximum capacity of 2 million barrels of oil.
"Right now Iran needs every tanker, and it will certainly make life easier for them," said Sam Ciszuk with KBC Energy Economics consultancy.
"With a few more tankers, they could build floating storage to make sure they can provide a buffer for these big fluctuations in oil demand," he said, referring to holding oil on board ships at sea until buyers can be found.
