page_title: Transport in Iran
section_title: Merchant marine
hierarchical_section_title: Transport in Iran / Merchant marine
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Le navire cargo iranien "Iran Sadr" en escale au port de La Pallice. Ce navire est un vraquier (bulk carrier) contruit en Corée par Daewoo et lancé en 1985. Il appartient (2009) à la compagnie de navigation Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. IMO 8320121. En persan, "Iran Sadr" s' écrit ایران صدر. Port de commerce de La Rochelle-Pallice, La Rochelle, Charente Maritime, France.
context_page_description: Iran has a long paved road system linking most of its towns and all of its cities. In 2011 the country had 173,000 kilometres of roads, of which 73% were paved. In 2008 there were nearly 100 passenger cars for every 1,000 inhabitants.
  Trains operate on 11,106 km of railway track. The country's major port of entry is Bandar-Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz. After arriving in Iran, imported goods are distributed throughout the country by trucks and freight trains. The Tehran–Bandar-Abbas railway, opened in 1995, connects Bandar-Abbas to the railway system of Central Asia via Tehran and Mashhad. Other major ports include Bandar e-Anzali and Bandar e-Torkeman on the Caspian Sea and Khorramshahr and Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni on the Persian Gulf.
  Dozens of cities have airports that serve passenger and cargo planes. Iran Air, the national airline, was founded in 1962 and operates domestic and international flights. All large cities have mass transit systems using buses, and several private companies provide bus service between cities. Hamadan and Tehran hold the highest betweenness and closeness centrality among the cities of Iran, regarding road and air routes, respectively.
context_section_description: Total: 76 (2013)
  By type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 51, chemical tanker 3, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2
  Foreign-owned: 2 (UAE 2)
  Registered in other countries: 71 (Barbados 5, Cyprus 10, Hong Kong 3, Malta 48, Panama 5) (2010)
  Shipping freight (important for liquid natural gas (LNG) exports) will grow by an average of 5.3 percent a year in the 2009–2013.
  Over the next two decades, Iran would need 500 new ships, including 120 oil tankers, 40 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and over 300 commercial vessels.
caption: The International Maritime Organization has 140 member states with Iran ranking among the top 20
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