Official: Chabahar Port breaks record of 28% growth in foreign transit

Chabahar, Sept 5, IRNA - Director-General of Ports and Maritime Organization of the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan Behrouz Aqaei said that Chabahar has experienced 28% growth in foreign trade. Speaking to IRNA, Aqaei said transit from Afghanistan and its exports to India and China was 5% in proportion with the total traffic in Shahid Beheshti Port. He added that by the end of August and after 20 months of cooperation between Iran-India joint operator in Chabahar, the consignment which was transited to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port has had 23% of total traffic. He also referred to first Indian sugar consignment to Afghanistan which was transited in 70 containers through Chabahar Port. Aqaei went on to say that the eighth cargo ship carrying Indian donated wheat for Afghanistan with 352 containers has docked at Shahid Beheshti port. It will be transferred to Milak Border in southern part of Sistan and Baluchestan. India aims to donate some 75,000 tons of wheat to Afghanistan via Iranian port city of Chabahar. Earlier, Union Minister of State for Shipping and Union Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilizers of India Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya said his country will save 20% logistic costs by using Chabahar Port for transporting to Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). "In a strategic development, loading and unloading of cargo have started at Chabahar Port. Container transport logistic costs to CIS countries will be reduced by 20 percent through Chabahar. So far, cargo to CIS countries from India could be sent only via China or Europe," he added. "If we want to send containers to the CIS countries we can only send via Europe or China. There was no other connectivity with CIS countries. Now, we have developed Chabahar port and there is direct connectivity to these countries via Afghanistan," the Indian minister noted. Chabahar, as Iran's only ocean port, plays an important role in developing trade, exports, and imports and in fishing as well. Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's special attention and the efforts made by President Hassan Rouhani's government have accelerated development of Makran Coasts, especially Chabahar Port, in a way that five big ships carrying basic goods, including wheat, barley, soybean, and corn berthed in one week.