Cargo vessel unloads petrochemical equipment at Chabahar port
The first ship unloaded a cargo of equipment for petrochemical unit at Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
Managing Director of Sistan-Baluchestan's Ports and Maritime Organization Behrouz Aqaei said the vessel was carrying equipment worth €40 million for Makran petrochemical town, IRNA wrote.
He noted that the ship called at ports in Romania and Italy before setting off for Iran. Its arrival, he said, indicates that major petrochemical complexes can be established in the province boosting exports.
The first phase of Shahid Beheshti Port was inaugurated in December last year.
Aqaei said the the port's loading/unloading capacity has reached 8.5 million tons from 2.5 million tons since the first phase became operational.
He said ships with goods weighing over 100,000 tons can presently unload their cargo at Shahid Beheshti Port.
The official added that the arrival of more ships in Chabahar has led to the development and prosperity of Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
Aqaei said that neighboring countries can transit goods, including machinery and big industrial parts via Shahid Beheshti Port.
The managing director of Sistan-Baluchestan's Ports and Maritime Organization said tariffs in the port are the cheapest among other ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
The inauguration of the first phase of Shahid Beheshti Port marked the beginning of a new chapter in economic development of Iran, India, Afghanistan and Central Asian states.
This is seen as an important step towards the implementation of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) — a 7,200-km-long multimode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
INSTC's main objective is to increase trade connectivity between Mumbai (India), Moscow (Russia), Baku (Azerbaijan) and Tehran, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan and Bandar Anzali (all in Iran).
The development of Chabahar Port is critical in the implementation of the INSTC.
While the port's development is important to Iran, it is definitely of critical importance to India as it is a turning point in the South Asian state's foreign trade, providing it with easier and cheaper access to the markets of Afghanistan as well as the Persian Gulf littoral and the Central Asian states.