Reports suggest that Iran is close to commissioning a drone carrier Shahid Bagheri, based on a converted container ship, previously named Sarvin. The converted ship features a 170 m runway, capable of accommodating the take-off and landing of a large fleet of fixed-wing long-range drones. The ship is also reported to be able to carry 30 Ashura-class fast patrol boats.

The Shahid Bagheri /ex-Sarvin was delivered from Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2000 as a 3,280 TEU container ship. It was converted to a drone carrier at the ISOICO shipyard west of Bandar Abbas and is now controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN.)

The Iranians claim that the converted ship is intended for defense.  The semi-official Fars news agency described the vessel as a “mobile naval city” capable of “ensuring the security of Iran’s trade lines, as well as the rights of Iranian sailors and fishermen in the high seas.” 

The Fars report noted: “This range of new defense and combat innovations for the construction of heavy vessels, in line with the mass development of light vessels, and equipping them with various arrays can maintain Iran’s authority over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman always in the face of transregional enemies”.

In March 2023, Janes reported that the IRGCN took delivery of another converted container ship Shahid Mahdavi.

IRGCN Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri described Shahid Mahdavi as a multi-purpose long-range vessel that is fitted with a phased array radar and an advanced communications system. It can carry 41 tonnes of cargo that can include helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fast attack craft, long-range cruise missiles, and air-defense systems. He added that the 240 m-long ship has an endurance of 18,000 n. miles and a top speed of 18 kt.