Date: 01 Mar 2000
Time: 07:35:04
Remote Name: 156.29.145.175
02/29/2000 BBC Worldwide Monitoring Source: `Kayhan' web site, Tehran, in Persian 29 Feb 00/BBC Worldwide Monitoring/(c) BBC
Text of report by Iranian newspaper `Kayhan' web site on 29th February
A representative of Valfajr-8 Shipping Line in Kuwait said: Two new high-speed ships will be purchased from Australia by the end of next year. In an exclusive interview with a `Kayhan' reporter in Kuwait, Ahmad Karami added: The speed of these ships is 36 knots, that is, faster than the other existing ships in Iran . He said: These ships will carry around 70 to 80 thousand passengers between the Iranian and Kuwaiti ports annually. Karami added: At present, a fast ship, named Negin, transports passengers between Khorramshahr and Kuwait three days a week. This ship can carry 240 passengers and 30 tonnes of cargo in each voyage. Furthermore, every passenger can carry 70 kg of luggage free of charge. He said: This year, more than 55,000 passengers have travelled from Kuwait to Khorramshahr by ship.