Final UN annex identifies a heavy-lift crane gap in marine-clearance equipment

The annex clarified that a rough earlier total of 800 ships included small barges, tugs and fishing vessels beached on both banks. Some wreckage might predate the war, and most did not seriously...

Almost twelve years without dredging had left silt compressed into heavy mud, difficult to remove especially inside wrecked hulls. The annex identified a physical salvage obstacle distinct from the...

The mission warned that ownership of salvaged cargo and scrapped ships could be contested, even where recovered value was small compared with salvage costs. The annex identified a legal and...

Before salvage work, the mission urged disclosure of ordnance and possible hazardous chemicals, provision of cargo manifests, and removal of mines and dangerous obstacles from riverbanks. These...

Iran’s Navy was assigned responsibility for clearing explosives from the waterway. The mission could not establish whether it had the needed technology or expertise; this uncertainty was not a finding...

Iran’s Transport Ministry estimated $1.6 billion for Shatt al-Arab wreck and explosive clearance, separate from dredging. The mission warned that a proper survey was needed and actual cost might...

The annex reported annual steel consumption of six million tonnes in 1980, while domestic production during the war remained below 1.5 million. The gap helped explain Iran’s priority for expanding...

The mission expected near-term steel consumption of seven to ten million tonnes yearly as reconstruction increased demand. This was an assessment-period demand forecast, not confirmed production or...

Ahvaz’s new steel plant was commissioning and Mobarakeh’s under construction, the annex stated. Together they were expected to produce about five million tonnes annually using gas-based direct...

Iran planned a second aluminium smelter with annual capacity of 230,000 tonnes, expected to operate in 1994 at an estimated $1.25 billion cost. The annex recorded a development plan, not proof of...