TEHRAN (Iran News) – Loading and unloading of non-oil cargoes increased by 97 percent in Chabahar port in the first five months of the current Iranian year (starting March 20) compared to the same period last year, said the managing director of Sistan and Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) on Saturday.
“The Import of basic goods through Chabahar has increased by 330 percent,” Behrouz Aqaei said, adding that the port’s unique incentives to importers and exporters, as well as shipping lines, have attracted investors toward Chabahar port, IRNA reported.
“The strategic location of Chabahar has encouraged Iranian and foreign investors to use it for transport of goods,” he added.
The official said that the highest import of basic goods pertained to wheat, with 479,000 tons.
He said that Chabahar offers a 30 percent discount for terminal handling charges (THC) for loading and unloading, and a 50 percent discount for foreign transit containers, which is just a part of the port incentives.
Chabahar also offers an 87 percent tariff-cut for storage costs of transit containers and a 75 percent discount for storage costs of imported goods containers, also empty containers to load exported or transit goods have a three-month long exemption from storage costs, the PMO managing director said.
Aqaei said last week that India’s eighth wheat cargo for Afghanistan has berthed at Chabahar’s Shahid Beheshti Port.
“The eighth vessel carrying 351 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) loaded with 8,097 tons of wheat has arrived in the strategic Iranian port,” the official said on September 5.
“The shipment is part of a total gift of 75,000 tons from India to Afghanistan,” the official added.
Aqaei noted that the Iranian port has handled over 53,000 tons of India’s wheat bound for Afghanistan since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 20).
The strategic port of Chabahar is the only oceanic port on the Makran coast in southeastern Iran and has a special status in the country’s economic affairs.
Chabahar has two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each having five berths.
Iran has handed over the development project of this port to India, which has allocated $500 million to build two new berths.
India has doubled the fund allocated for the development of the port in its national budget bill for 2020.
- source : Iran Daily
