Transit of goods by Khazar Sea Shipping Lines increased by 162% in the fiscal 2021-22, thanks to the unwavering support lent by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
According to Davoud Tafti, the managing director of Khazar Sea Shipping Lines, an IRISL subsidiary, now operates weekly container shipping services on the China-Kazakhstan-Iran container route.
“Khazar Sea Shipping Lines has found new transit markets. For example, it carried 3,213 vehicles in 2021-22, registering a 346% growth compared with the year before. Container throughput reached 9,389 TEU [twenty-foot equivalent unit] last year, indicating a 63% growth. Bulk and general shipping also increased by 21% to reach 1.16 million tons,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Noting that the company had expanded its services to the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, India and Pakistan, he said, “Khazar Sea Shipping Lines now accounts for 32.5% of the Caspian Sea shipping market [which marks a 2.3% growth in its market share in 2021-22], as the company’s operating income increased by 53% in 2021-22 compared with the year before.”
The company has placed an order for the construction of two 3,500-ton-general-cargo ships with a local manufacturer, the building of which will start in the sixth month of the current Iranian year [Aug. 23-Sept. 22], he added.
KSSL announced recently that container transit shipping lines have been launched between ports in northern Iran and Russia’s Makhachkala Port. It will from now on transport transit, refrigerated and general container consignments from ports in Iran’s northern provinces to the port in Makhachkala, previously known as Petrovskoye, IRNA reported.
Makhachkala is the only Russian port on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the access routes of which are not severed in winter by frozen waters.
Khazar Sea Shipping Lines has expanded its services to the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, India and Pakistan. It now accounts for 32.5% of the Caspian Sea shipping market, which marks a 2.3% growth in its market share in 2021-22
Transport containers from Iran to Moscow via this port is 30% more efficient in terms of time and cost compared to the route that passes through Azerbaijan Republic.
Makhachkala is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia and is located along the shore of Caspian Sea.
KSSL and the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 13 to establish six regular shipping routes for the transport of freight between Iran’s northern ports in the Caspian Sea and those of Russia and Kazakhstan.
The signatories, Davoud Tafti and Alireza Peymanpak, the head of TPO, agreed to expand marine transportation lines to eight by March 2022.
“Freight will be transported on a regular schedule between the Iranian ports of Amirabad, Anzali and Noshahr, and Russia’s Makhachkala and Astrakhan, and Kazakhstan’s Aktau ports. Two other optional routes from Iran’s Astara and Fereydounkenar ports have been included in the MoU to carry cargo to the above-mentioned ports in Russia and Kazakhstan on demand,” Tafti was quoted as saying by ILNA.
TPO, affiliated with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, has also agreed to compensate any possible financial loss on the part of Khazar Sea Shipping Lines.
The shipping line has the capacity to transport 200,000 tons of cargo per year while container loading and unloading capacity amounts to 6,000 TEUs per year.
The company has 23 vessels under its name, 15 of which can carry containers.
Infrastructures are ready for commodity transit from Iran's southern ports to the north and through Caspian Sea, the CEO told Trend News Agency in an interview.
"We are interacting with southern ports, commodity owners and company branches in China, Russia, South Korea, Singapore and India for promoting cargo transportation through the International North-South Transport Corridor and Iran's East-West Transit Corridor to Eurasian countries," Tafti explained.
Iran’s share of marine transportation in the Caspian Sea increased to 38.9% in the fiscal 2020-21 from 34.9% in the previous year, according to Mehr News Agency.
The country transported 1.92 million tons of freight to ports located along the Caspian Sea during the period.
Among Iranian shipping companies, Khazar Sea Shipping Lines ranked first with 1.5 million tons of transported goods.
Other Iranian companies transported a total of 424,993 tons during the period.
Russia had a 59.9% share with 2.96 million tons of freight transport.
Kazakhstan transported 35,590 tons (0.7%), Azerbaijan 12,834 tons (0.3%) and other countries 11,470 tons (0.2%).
Overall, marine transportation in the Caspian Sea in the year to March 20, 2021, stood at 4.94 million tons, registering a 21.2% decline compared with 6.27 million tons of the year before.
The decline was due to restrictions put in place in the region to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
