IRINS Makran: A Real Expeditionary Mobile Base or a Floating Gas Station

IRIS Kharg has been the backbone of the Iranian navy’s anti-piracy missions in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden since 2009 before her accidental sinking. Kharg, a modified Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler built by Swan Hunter in the United Kingdom, was delivered to Iran in 1984. Typically, Iran deploys one Alvand-class frigate for such missions, with Kharg providing logistical support by carrying 22,000 tonnes of supplies, enabling missions to last between 70 to 90 days.

The sinking of Kharg in 2021, Iran’s proxy war in Yemen, and the volatile situation in the Gulf of Aden have compelled the Iranian navy to seek solutions for longer missions and to support their allies in Yemen. Given the lack of a permanent naval base in the region and the limitations of their existing logistic ships, the Iranian navy decided to create an expeditionary mobile base. To achieve this, they purchased a second-hand oil tanker and converted it into a mobile base, defining a new class of logistic ships called "port-ship" by the Iranian Navy, and naming it IRINS Makran.

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