Iran's Largest Container Port Activities Up 10%

More than 71.25 million tons of cargo were loaded and unloaded in Shahid Rajaee Port in the southern Hormozgan Province during the first 10 months of the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2017), registering a 10% increase compared with the similar period of last year, the director general of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organization said.

Allah-Morad Afifipour added that during this period, non-oil exports exceeded 31.6 million tons, imports reached 8 million tons and transited goods hit 4.53 million tons, showing a 10%, 2% and 26% growth respectively. 

The cabotage of non-oil goods amounted to 48,000 tons, the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development reported.

Close to 6.6 million tons of oil products were exported, 2.5 million tons imported and 43,235 tons transited through Shahid Rajaee. The cabotage of such products stood at over 13.56 million tons during the 10-month period.

Moreover, 3,297 vessels entered the port, 2,767 of which weighed over 1,000 tons.

The strategic port, which is Iran’s biggest container port near the Strait of Hormuz, accounted for some 60% of all Iranian port activities last year (March 2016-17). 

Located 23 kilometers west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province, the port has the capacity to handle up to 3.3 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of containerized cargo per year, Bourse 24 reported.

A transportation company owned by a group of leading Iranian miners, steelmakers and investment banks signed an agreement with Ports and Maritime Organization late last year to establish a specialized berth for mineral products’ export and import in Shahid Rajaee Port.

The agreement is aimed at preparing one of Iran’s largest ports for the 55-million-ton annual steel production and trade target set for the industry in 2025. 

The transportation company’s stakeholders include Mines and Metals Development Investment Company, Omid Investment Bank, Iran’s two main iron ore producers Golgohar and Chadormalu mining and industrial companies, Iran’s largest flat steel producer Mobarakeh Steel Company and the flagship shipping company Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.