The world’s biggest ro-ro (con-ro) container vessel, the Jolly Titanio, currently sailing under the flag of the Italian “Messina” liner, docked at terminal No. 2 of Shahid Raja’ee Port in the southern province of Hormozgan on Wednesday, Ebrahim Idani, the CEO of Ports and Marine Organization (PMO) said in a news conference.
With the capacity of 3,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), the Italian liner shortens the route between Iran and Italy and reduces the total transportation cost by $40 to $100 per metric tons. Previously, goods were sent to other countries’ ports before being shipped to Iran, while Jolly Titanio carries them directly to Shahid Raja’ee Port, said Idani, IRNA reported.
Jolly Titanio is the first in a series of four con-ro vessels that the Korean shipyard is scheduled to deliver by mid 2015 as part of the second phase of the Genoa based shipping company’s multimillion-dollar development plan. The Italian vessel operates within Messina’s regular liner services between Mediterranean ports, the Red Sea and Middle Eastern destinations.
PMO’s deputy for port affairs, Ali Jahandideh had previously announced the entry of liners to Shahid Raja’ee Port at the beginning of 2015, saying: “Representatives of Messina liners, which were active in Iran prior to sanctions, have expressed willingness to resume their maritime transactions with the Iranian ports,” PMO’s website reported last month.
Pointing that some foreign shipping lines have shown interest in resuming activities with Iran and visited Shahid Raja’ee Port for this purpose, Jahandideh noted that using the Iranian ports is “economically feasible” for the foreign liners as Iranian authorities have “gone to great lengths to equip the ports with required facilities and services.”
When asked whether the newly approved port charges levied on cargo in Iranian ports would affect the entry of foreign vessels, Jahandideh said: “Our port charges are generally not higher than other ports in the region; hence they should not hinder entry of ships and vessels.”
Regarding the quality of port services in Iran, the official said the quality of services offered by Shahid Raja’ee Port, especially in Terminal-2, has been approved by the shipping companies using this port. Meanwhile, efforts for upgrading the quality of port’s services are underway.
Shahid Raja’ee port, located about 14.5 kilometers southwest of Bandar Abbas – the capital of Hormozgan province – is one of the most important economic junctions in the Middle East. It covers about 2,400 hectares and handles 70 million tons of cargo per year, including three million TEUs of containerized cargo. With 40 berths and 18 gantry cranes, Shaheed Raja’ee port handles nearly 85 percent of the country’s containerized cargo and 60 percent of total cargo.
