The Israel Government has chartered three oil tankers aggregating 180,000 deadweight tons to carry oil to the Eilat terminal of the Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, it was announced here. The vessels will be operated by Israel’s three largest shipping companies, Zim, Cargo Ships El Yam and Maritime Fruit Carriers, Ltd. The Zim Lines plans to place a 230,000 deadweight ton tanker into service next April to be followed by another supertanker four months later. Together with existing tonnage, these vessels will increase the carrying capacity of Israel’s tanker fleet serving Eilat to 25 million tons a year. Construction will start soon on six new oil storage tanks at Eilat and Ashkelon. The capacity of the pipeline itself will be increased to 30 million tons a year by the construction of new pumping stations at both terminals. Israel’s merchant fleet will double its tonnage within five years through an investment of some $600 million, the General Director of the Transport Ministry, Ramon Harel announced at the Haifa Shipping Research Institute. The fleet’s deadweight tonnage now totals 3 million tons. Most of the increase will be in tankers and container ships, Harel said.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
