Iran’s Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) plans to order Triple E vessels which can carry more than 18,000 containers, following the lifting of sanctions which barred the country’s liners from calling at US and European ports, said a report.

IRISL’s current fleet includes 158 container vessels, dry bulk carriers and tankers which are expected to return to international traffic in early 2016, added the Press TV report.

The sanctions are expected to be lifted in January under the comprehensive agreement between Iran and the West, and the company’s priority is to re-enter the international market, Mohammad Saeidi chairman, IRISL, was quoted as saying to The Wall Street Journal according to the report.

The IRISL, following building up a sufficient capacity, plans to forge an alliance with the world’s top 15 container operators which control the busiest trade routes by sharing vessels, networks and port calls.

Saeidi said that the IRISL has been touring European countries with major shipping clusters such as Greece, Germany, Cyprus, France and Denmark, to lay the groundwork.

Over the next month we will complete how many ships we need. We will then engage in talks with financiers and yards for orders, he added.

For its expansion, IRISL will tap Chinese banks which are providing billions of dollars in loans provided that orders go to the Asian country's shipyards, added the report.