A total of 23 million tons of goods were loaded and unloaded at Imam Khomeini Port in the southern Khuzestan Province during the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-Sept. 22).
According to Director General of Khuzestan Ports and Maritime Organization Adel Deris, the port’s operations registered a 59% rise compared with last year's corresponding period.
“Essential goods accounted for around 9 million tons [about 40%] of the total operations,” Deris was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Essential goods are products and services people need to buy, regardless of changes in income levels.
Deris, who doubles as the manager of Imam Khomeini Port's Special Economic Zone, noted that Imam Khomeini Port single-handedly accounts for 80% of Iran's imports of essential goods.
Imported essential goods mainly included wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, rice, sugar and vegetable oils.
Latest statistics show 11 million tons of essential goods were imported via Iranian ports in the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Aug. 22), an official with the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran said.
“The volume of imports indicates a 67% rise compared with last year's corresponding period,” Ravanbakhsh Behzadian was also quoted as saying.
Ever since last year’s imposition of anti-Iran sanctions claimed by US President Donald Trump as "toughest ever", the Iranian government has focused efforts on importing essential goods, mainly food products and pharmaceuticals.
On the other hand, imports of what the government deems non-essential goods, mainly those with domestic counterparts, have been restricted or banned.
The sanctions were imposed after Trump decided to unilaterally walk out of the nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers, including the United States. The deal, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was signed in 2015 and implemented a year later. It saw years of international sanctions lifted against Iran. In exchange, the country agreed to limit the scope of its nuclear program.
Imam Khomeini Port alone accounts for 80% of Iran's imports of essential goods
The US sanctions have targeted Iran's trade by obstructing its commercial exchanges with world powers.
Behzadian noted that Imam Khomeini Port has been at the forefront of essential goods imports.
“Close to 7 million tons of essential goods, including barley, corn, oilseeds, sugar and vegetable oil, were unloaded at the port located in the southern Khuzestan Province during the same five-month period under review, indicating a 64% increase year-on-year,” he said.
Imam Khomeini is considered the second busiest port in Iran after Shahid Rajaee.
Latest data published on the website of PMO show that during the first five months of the current year, the port handled more than 18.68 million tons of commodities. The figure shows a 6.33% increase YOY.
Non-oil goods accounted for more than 12.89 million tons and oil products exceeded 5.78 million tons of the total operations at Imam Khomeini Port, registering a 21.21% growth and a 16.5% fall respectively YOY.
In comparison, Shahid Rajaee handled more than 31.78 million tons of commodities, registering a 4.25% rise year-on-year.
Shahid Rajaee was the busiest port during the period. Non-oil goods accounted for 21.09 million tons and oil products for 10.68 million tons of the total, showing a 4.12% and 4.49% growth respectively YOY.
Located 23 kilometers west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province, Shahid Rajaee is Iran’s biggest container port and conducts over half of Iran’s commercial trading.
The port complex also accounts for over 85% of all container operations in the country.
According to Mohammad Reza Rezaei-Kouchi, the head of Majlis Development Commission, Shahid Rajaee Port has a 6% share in the region’s total container operations per annum, ILNA reported.
Imam Khomeini Port is located at the terminus of the trans-Iranian railroad linking the Persian Gulf with Tehran and on to the Caspian Sea. It is a transshipment point for containers, bulk and general cargo, with exclusive access to the facilities held by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
The port has seven terminals with 40 berths of about 6,500 meters frontage.
