TEHRAN- The head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) said that fortunately, an evolution has occurred in the maritime sector of the country.

Ali-Akbar Safaei made the remarks in a ceremony to celebrate World Maritime Day on Monday, which was also participated by Transport and Urban Development Minister Rostam Qasemi as well as some other officials including the heads of maritime departments and some MPs.

“The country's maritime position in the fleet sector ranks 17th among countries in the world, and in terms of the number of registered ships, we have more than 13,000 ships and the number of sailors on the ship reaches more than 120,000”, the official further announced.

Saying that 107 million tons of commodities have been loaded and unloaded in the ports of the country since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21), the PMO head said, “We have had also significant growth in the field of transit, and with the support of the transport minister, infrastructure projects worth 260 trillion rials (about $930 million) have been defined and become a commitment.”

Addressing the same ceremony, Transport and Urban Development Minister Rostam Qasemi announced that $20 billion will be invested in the rail and port projects in the country in the four next years.

Referring to Iran's position in the world and the capacity of 200 million tons of cargo in the region, the minister said: "Soon, a very big change will happen in the country's transportation sector in the three areas of sea, air, and rail."

The official further stressed: “I believe that in order to change the current conditions of transportation and carry out major works in this field, newer and more serious operational methods should be used.”

MA/MA