IRGC-N launch of Parmida 6 crew boat at Bushehr

Above: video still of Parmida 6 crew boat upon launch into Persian Gulf waters 

Iranian media reports the 28JAN15 launch of newly constructed Parmida 6 crew boat at Bushehr, in the presence of Commander of IRGC-N Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi.

Crew boats are vessels specialized in the transport of offshore support personnel, deck cargo, and below-deck cargo such as fuel and potable water to and from offshore installations such as oil platforms, drilling rigs and drill/ dive ships.

Claimed specifications for Parmida 6 include a maximum speed of 25 nautical miles per hour, with capacity to carry 73 passengers and crew of eight.

For comparison, Parmida 5 crew boat specifications list a gross tonnage of 243, deadweight of 134 tons and a length x breadth of 41m x 7.4m.

Video:

Iranian Coast Guard rescue vessel at Bushehr Island

 

Above: Imagery captured by Tasnim News Agency photographer of Iranian Coast Guard rescue vessel near Bushehr Island in the Persian Gulf, during IRI President Rouhani's inspection of the Bushehr Island Waterfront project on 14JAN15. [click HERE]

Vessel marked NEJAT 2 ("RESCUE 2") appears to be one in a series of NAJI ("SAVIOR") high speed light craft patrol type constructed at Norway's Båtservice Mandal AS, as delivered to Port and Shipping Organization, Iran (PSO).

NAJI 9 (MMSI: 422315000) known to operate in region of Bushehr at Khark during past 30 days. [click HERE]

NAJI series vessels powered by two MTU 12V2000 M90 diesel engines of 1007 kW from Bertel O. Steen Teknikk. Engines drive two water jets of Hamilton Jet type HM 521 via ZF reduction gears. Vessels capable of a maximum speed of 40 knots, with given service speed indicated as 30 knots.

Equipment on these rescue crafts include Hydromega delivery of rescue net with crane, with liferaft for 20 persons supplied by Viking-Life.

Electronic equipment include Furuno FR-1510 Mk3 radar, JRC FF 501 echo sounder, Simrad AP50 auto pilot, Furuno GP-90 GPS, Furuno FC-50 navigator, GMDSS A2 Furuno FS-1570 radio station, two Sailor RT 4822 VHFs, Thrane Fleet 55 Satcom, Taiyo TDL 1550 VHF direction finder and Phontech intercom-system.

Specifications:
Length o.a. excl. fender: 19.60 m
Breadth mld.: 4.60 m
Depth mld.: 2.85 m
Fuel oil capacity: 5000 l
Fresh water capacity: 500 l

Earthquake Hits Southeast Iran

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake on Tuesday jolted sparsely populated district of Shonbeh, some 120 km (75 miles) southeast of Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant. Last year a magnitude-6.1 quake hit the same region, killing 37 people and injuring hundreds. There were no casualties in today’s quake.

Russia to Build Two New Reactors at Bushehr

Eight More Nuclear Power Reactors Under Study

Iran and Russia signed an agreement today in Moscow for two new nuclear reactors to be installed at Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. The plant currently houses one 1,000-megawatt electric pressurized water reactor, also made by Russia.

The agreement was signed by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation head Sergey Kiriyenko.

In a statement released in Moscow today, Rosatom said the two sides are also discussing the construction of additional four power plants on Bushehr site, as well as four similar power units on another and yet undetermined site in Iran.

Photo credit: Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Ali Akbar Salehi (l.) and Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation head Sergey Kiriyenko at signing ceremony for two additional reactors at Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant; Moscow, 11 November 2014 (IRNA)

Iran Arrest Ukrainian Citizen on Sabotage Charges

Nuclear Facilities Targeted – Alleged Link to Lockheed Martin

A Ukrainian citizen working for a Russian contractor on Bushehr nuclear power plant has been arrested in Iran on “suspicion of sabotage,” Tehran daily Hamshahri reported. The report did not elaborate on the timing and nature of sabotage. (Hamshahri/AP, 7 September)

Hamshahri quoted deputy head and chief of security of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Asqar Zarean, as saying that Sandia National Laboratories, a New Mexico-based subsidiary of defense giant Lockheed Martin, has been involved in manipulating parts that Iran needed for its nuclear facilities. Hamshahri suggested sabotaging parts happened before the parts arrived in Iran. The AEOI official did not identify which nuclear facilities were targeted, and what role the Ukrainian citizen played in the alleged sabotage.

In 2010, the Stuxnet virus temporary disrupted the operation of thousands of centrifuges at Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Iran then accused the United States and Israel for being behind that attack.

File photo: Bushehr nuclear power reactor (AP)

Zarif Says Number of Centrifuges Prevented Agreement in Vienna

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said today that the number of operating centrifuges at Natanz were the main point of disagreement with the West, which prevented the two sides from reaching a comprehensive nuclear accord in Vienna last week. The talks have now been extended for another four months.

“The West is sensitive on the number of centrifuges and wanted to cut the numbers. The Iranian negotiating team, however, believed the number of centrifuges should be large enough to meet the fuel needs of Bushehr power reactor,” Zarif was quoted by Mehr News Agency as saying in a closed-door session of Majlis on Tuesday. (Mehr, 22 July)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has publicly called for Iran to expand its enrichment capacity at industrial scale to provide fuel for Bushehr nuclear power reactor. Khamenei has said Iran would need 190,000 SWU (equivalent to some 200,000 IR-1 centrifuges) to reach that goal. Iran currently has some 9,400 IR-1 centrifuges in operation at Natanz.

Russia provides the fuel for Bushehr under a contract with Iran that expires in 2021. Even though the Russians have said they were willing to extend the contract, the Iranians presumably want to produce the fuel themselves. To do so, they would need some 200,000 of IR-1s (or fewer numbers of IR-5/IR-6 new machines) installed and operational within seven years.

The P5+1 wanted to limit the number of centrifuges to a few thousand IR-1s, enough to provide fuel for Tehran Research Reactor and a modified Arak (IR-40) heavy water reactor under construction. Under this proposal, Iran had to wait until the expiration of the comprehensive agreement to build the full-fledged uranium enrichment industry. But the Iranians plan to build the industry within seven years, peculiarly under the auspice of a nuclear agreement with the West. Hence the huge gap between what the Iranians were asking at Vienna talks and what the P5+1 was willing to accept.

Zarif was also reported as saying that the West wanted to extend the interim agreement for years, but Iran only agreed on four-month extension. (Mehr, 22 July)

Under the terms of the interim agreement, JPOA, the two sides could extend it up to a year from the date it was originally signed. JPOA was signed on 24 November 2013 in Geneva, and it is now extended to 24 November 2014. It is not clear what Zarif was referring to when he told Majlis that the West wanted to extend JPOA for years.

Iran Demands Significant Enrichment Capability to Fuel Bushehr - Report

Reuters quoting Western officials reported today that during their meeting in May with P5+1 in Vienna, Iranian negotiators demanded that Iran be allowed to produce all enriched uranium it would need to fuel the existing Bushehr nuclear power reactor, whose fuel is being provided by Russia. Hence, the Iranians wanted to keep all their current centrifuges, some 10,000 in operation, and in addition add tens of thousands more centrifuges to be able to fuel the reactor.

The West considers operating more than few thousands centrifuges would give Iran breakout capability in short order. With 50,000-100,000 centrifuges in operation, Iran could produce enough enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon in matter of weeks if it so decides.

The next meeting between Iran and P5+1 is scheduled for mid-June. The difference between the numbers of centrifuges Iran wants and what the West is ready to accept is so great that agreeing to cut the difference in half might not work here, hence the failure of the May meeting. The optimistic assessments for the talks coming out of Tehran in the past few days, however, might indicate that the Iranians are ready to offer new set of proposals to cut the difference significantly.

Iran technology exhibition, on sidelines of Islamic Nations Conference

Iran technology exhibition on the sidelines of Islamic Nations Conference held in Tehran.

Part of the AEOI "Atoms for Peace" display at the Iran technology exhibition: Iran's nuclear fuel assemblies, IR-40 type dummy at right.

Display of various Iranian nuclear reactor fuel related assemblies 

Collection of display cutaways of various IR-type nuclear centrifuge units

Cutaway scale model of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Foreground: display of Iranian satellite models:  Toulou, Omid and unidentified

Background: display scale models of Iranian IRILVs including Safir and Simorgh types

Pahpad, AB-3 (Seeker-1) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

Display of various Iranian manufactured medical and scientific related products

Example of Iranian manufactured herbal drug product, ANGIPARS

Photos: Siamak Ebrahimi at Tasnim News Adency

Bushehr Nuclear Plant Not Damaged by Quake

The IAEA has confirmed that Friday’s earthquake in Bushehr did not damage the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The earthquake measured at 5.7 on the Richter scale, shook Berazjan in Bushehr Province, leaving eight dead and dozens injured. Aftershocks measured at 4.1 and 3.7 followed the quake. (ISNA/Radio Zaman, 30 November)

File photo: Bushehr Nuclear Plant (IRNA)

Russia’s Rosatom To Hand Bushehr Nuclear Plant To Iran

The Russian government contractor Rosatom said it will soon sign documents transferring operational control of the Bushehr nuclear power plant to Iran.

“Bushehr is currently operating at 100-percent capacity and the process of preparing it for transfer to the project originator is concluding,” Rosatom's Sergei Kiriyenko said.

Rosatom's construction division, Atomstroyeksport, finished construction at Bushehr, after a German company started in the mid-1970s but pulled out of after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Tehran signed the Bushehr contract with Russia in 1995. Bushehr reached full capacity at the end of August 2012.

File photos:
Top: Bushehr Nuclear Power plant (Mehr News Agency)
Bottom: Control room of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (ISNA)

Iran’s Bushehr Reactor Damaged by April Quakes - Diplomats

Could Explain Plant’s Closure

Several IAEA member-countries are reporting that Bushehr nuclear reactor was damaged by April 9 and 16 earthquakes, with long cracks appearing in at least one section of the structure, Associated Press quoted two diplomats as saying.

IAEA reports in February and May said it had been informed by Iran that the Bushehr reactor was shut down, without specifying why. Saudi Arabia cited Bushehr as a safety concern Tuesday at a session of the IAEA’s 35-nation board.

But Tehran insists the plant is technically sound and built to withstand all but the largest earthquakes unscathed. They are offering the reasons for shutting down the plant.

Iran is the only country operating a nuclear power plant that has not signed the 75-nation nuclear safety convention, which was created after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. While IAEA inspectors occasionally do inventory of nuclear material at Bushehr, they do not have a mandate to conduct safety checks.

Iran is located in a zone of tectonic compression where the Arabian plate moves into the Eurasian plate, leaving more than 90 percent of the country crisscrossed by seismic fault lines.

Nine quakes that hit the country in the last few decades were bigger than magnitude 6.0, including the 2003 temblor in the city of Bam.

File photo: Bushehr nuclear power plant (Mehr News Agency)