A total of 53.22 million tons of commodities were loaded and unloaded at Iran’s commercial ports during the first quarter of the current Iranian year (March 21-June 21), registering a 7% rise compared with the similar period of last year, new data released by the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran show.
The total unloading volume stood at 17.96 million tons, including 6.56 million tons of oil and 11.4 million tons of non-oil goods, the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development reported.
The total loading volume stood at 35.26 million tons, registering a 3% year-on-year rise, including 17.88 million tons of oil products and 17.37 million tons of non-oil goods.
The report noted that the loading volume of non-oil goods saw a 21% rise.
Container throughput stood at 646,211 TEUs during the period, indicating a 5% increase when compared with 615,517 TEUs in the corresponding period of last year.
The 22 ports under study include Iran’s southern ports of Abadan, Imam Khomeini, Bushehr, Khorramshahr, Genaveh, Bandar Lengeh, Chavibdeh, Arvandkenar, Charak and Dayyer located on the shores of the Persian Gulf, Shahid Rajaee, Shahid Bahonar, Shahid Haqqani, Qeshm and Tiab at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, Jask and Chabahar on the coasts of the Sea of Oman and the northern ports of Fereydounkenar, Noshahr, Astara, Amirabad and Anzali on the Caspian Sea shoreline.
Shahid Rajaee, located in the southern Hormozgan Province, is Iran’s biggest commercial seaport. The namesake special economic zone accounts for the highest share of all goods exported from and imported to Iran.
The economic zone, which has a loading/unloading capacity of 100 million tons per year, accounts for over half of Iran's trade and about two-thirds of total freight transit through the country.
The lion’s share of Iran's containers is handled at Shahid Rajaee Port. With 18 gantry cranes and 40 berths, it is the most advanced container port of Iran.
Launched in 1985, the port has expanded every year. Today it is connected to 80 ports worldwide.
The significance of this port lies in its large capacity, including its location in the Persian Gulf, container terminal, fuel bunkering, access to 24 kilometers of railroads and round-the-clock truck transportation.
Imam Khomeini Port in the southern Khuzestan Province is the main port of entry for basic goods like wheat, corn and rice.
The bulk of the country’s demand for livestock feed raw material and grains are imported through this southern port.
Overall, Imam Khomeini is Iran’s second busiest port after Shahid Rajaee in Hormozgan Province. It boasts 40 wharfs, 140 kilometers of railroads within its premises and the latest loading and unloading facilities.
Underutilized Capacity of Northern Ports
Iran’s southern ports account for the bulk of cargo throughput in the country and the capacity of northern ports largely remain underutilized.
The combined capacity of Iran’s five Caspian ports, namely Anzali, Noshahr, Fereydounkenar, Astara and Amirabad, is at 35 million tons, accounting for only about 13% of the total capacity of Iranian ports, according to Jalil Eslami, the deputy head of Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran.
“Poor export infrastructures and lack of adequate equipment are to blame for the low shipping traffic of northern Iranian ports and freight forwarding companies, as well as traders’ reluctance to use their services,” Ali Chagharvand, director of Plan Management, Planning and Monitoring Department of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, wrote for Tasnim News Agency.
"Traders and transportation companies do not avail themselves of the numerous advantages of Iran’s northern ports that are in recession. Economic players believe that they are uneconomical. This is while by removing obstacles, freight transportation and trade through northern ports can become a viable alternative to other transit routes and even southern ports,” he added.
According to the official, in the fiscal 2020-21, a meager 5-6 tons of the overall capacity of northern ports were used, as demand for their services has declined in recent years.
"Noshahr Port has considerable advantages, including its proximity to the capital city and major commercial and industrial centers, easy access to the consumer markets of Central Asia and Eastern Europe, access to airport, availability of facilities for storage and movement of commercial goods, petroleum products and solid bulk cargo, having exclusive warehouses and special facilities for export and transit, as well as direct connection through pipelines to Chalous oil reservoirs. However, due to several reasons, the port’s shipping traffic is even lower than that of Amirabad Port,” he said.
