Shahid Beheshti Terminal in Chabahar Port in the southern waters of Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province is the most important rival of Persian Gulf ports.
Berthing, loading and unloading procedures at the terminal are more economical than at other ports, thanks to its proximity to the coast of Oman Sea and its location in the Persian Gulf.
According to statistics, more than 3,000 ships enter the Persian Gulf annually, loading and unloading of which in Chabahar lead to a significant decrease in costs.
Note that all these economic advantages will materialize only if the rail connection to Chabahar is completed. Presently, the rail and road infrastructure cannot afford the shipment of heavy cargo.
Hossein Shahdadi, an official with Sistan-Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organization, prefaced his article for the Persian daily Shargh with this note. A translation of the text follows:
Chabahar Port has the top position to serve ships entering the Persian Gulf. Supplying fuel to the ships entering the Persian Gulf (bunkering) will generate huge revenues for the economy. This comes as the Fujairah Port in the UAE is the most important bunkering port in the Persian Gulf, despite its location far from the ocean.
Compared with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, Chabahar is also more competitive. The connection between Gwadar and the Central Asian countries and Afghanistan is difficult and expensive, given the mountainous terrain of northern Pakistan. Cheap energy in Iran has made Chabahar Port more efficient than Gwadar. In addition, the peninsular location of Gwadar Port has limited its development; Gwadar Port has less land for development while Chabahar has plenty of barren land for future development plans.
The development paradigm along the coasts of the Sea of Oman and the transit advantages of Chabahar have led to the growth in the traffic of ships and imports of essential goods, as well as the development of non-oil exports and the transit of goods through Chabahar by regional countries
With the implementation of Shahid Beheshti Development Plan, the development of infrastructures and the provision of strategic loading and unloading equipment, it is possible for Chabahar to handle a wide range of goods.
In recent years, the development paradigm along the coasts of the Sea of Oman, the prosperity of the eastern axis and the transit advantages of Chabahar have led to the growth in the traffic of ships and imports of essential goods, as well as the development of non-oil exports and the transit of goods through Chabahar by regional countries. These measures are not enough, though.
Increasing the access coefficient of the port through the creation of a container transportation network will boost the stature of Chabahar. The main advantages of container transport such as standardization with the ability to transport containers anywhere in the world via any means of transport, flexibility of container shipment to carry a wide range of goods, low costs, high speed of transfer and the use of containers as means of storage has made container transport the major link in global supply chain. Containers currently account for more than 50% of global trade.
Besides the geographical location and infrastructures, the regular traffic of various shipping lines, the enthusiasm of shippers and receivers of goods in using the port, suitable loading and unloading equipment and the establishment of a network between container owners, shipping companies, forwarders and traders increase container operations of a port and help the development of an international transportation network.
Since the beginning of the current Iranian year [March 21, 2022], the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines have jointly established container transport services from Chabahar to ports in India, China and the Persian Gulf countries. Currently, large container ships with a capacity of 6,500 TEU sail to Chabahar.
The creation of a regular container transportation service to provide a suitable platform for maritime trade to frequent destinations and the development of business ties with neighboring countries in line with the government’s plans is the main goal. It is clear that reducing time and costs of goods transfer is a major factor for the goods owners, traders and economic players.
The following measures are necessary to maintain the provision of services:
Reducing the time and costs of container transportation, meeting the needs of goods owners as well as exporters and importers, and providing services for timely delivery, increasing the speed in sending document for container transportation, preparing a platform for giving services in a competitive manner for SOCs (Shipper-Owned Container) and containers belonging to other shipping lines, laying the groundwork for door-to-door services and installing equipment for loading and unloading containers in the port are among the important measures that must be taken to develop Chabahar.
