In an interview with Mehr news the Head of Coastal and Port Engineering department of PMO said Iran is self-reliant in the port construction sector and the majority of the maritime equipment in Iranian ports is domestic.

The Head of Coastal and Port Engineering department of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran (PMO) Mohammadreza Allahyar informed Mehr news in an interview that "About 10 packages of the 1st phase development project of Shahid Beheshti Port of Chabahar are inaugurated by the Iranian Road Minister Mohammad Eslami in his recent visit to the port. "

"The launched projects will definitely pave the way for the presence of investors as well as further activity of traders in Chabahar Port," Allahyar added.

Head of Coastal and Port Engineering Dept. of PMO Mohammadreza Allahyar

The Iranian official noted that: "The majority of infrastructural achievements in Shahid Beheshti Port have been obtained by the Iranian private sector and companies."

"The PMO has applied all of its experiences in the construction and development of Chabahar Ports," he said.

“We can claim that the available facilities in Chabahar Port are of most modern ones which means the port is getting prepared to receive ocean ships and huge maritime vessels in the near future,” he said.

He noted that as the main Iranian ocean port, Chabahar Port is to facilitate international transportation.

"The 1st phase of the Shahid Beheshti Port development plan was inaugurated three years ago by putting two piers into operation. The recently inaugurated projects include those in the hinterland and facility infrastructure required for port operations," Allahyar said.

Being questioned about the second phase of Shahid Beheshti Port, he informed, "Construction of the 2nd phase of Shahid Beheshti Port is being studied and includes the construction of two piers to receive up to 22,000 TEU Container Vessels, which are the largest containers in the world."

Loading goods at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar

"As I said, the 2nd phase is being designed and its construction will kick off as soon as the construction of the 1st phase reaches above 70 percent of its development."

"According to Iran’s Comprehensive Plan for Commercial Ports, the construction of the 2nd phase is expected to get started in 2026-2027," he informed.

"As predicted, the 1st phase has the required potential to meet the demands in the next upcoming five years," he noted.

Allahyar expressed satisfaction that "Fortunately, in port engineering and marine structures engineering, the Islamic Republic of Iran has an excellent rating and in both designing and construction sectors, Iranian consulting engineers and contractors are fully experienced and can compete with their regional rivals."

“I am proud to announce that in the port construction [and desigining] industry Iran is self-reliant, depending on domestic capabilities,” he said.

“In the maritime equipment sector, the majority of the products in Chabahar port are Iranian,” he added.  

Explaining about the ongoing developments, Allahyar said: "The PMO, in cooperation with the Iranian ministry of industry, is planning to use the capabilities of domestic knowledge-based companies and small firms to [deacrease imports] and improve the country's ability in supplying the required port equipment."

“A huge infrastructure project is being planned in Chabahar Port to lure investors into Chabahar Port,” he added.

"Chabahar Port’s capability in the networking sector is to expand and that is good news for the Indian Ocean countries, and more importantly to the regional countries with far access to seaports including the CIS and Afghanistan," he underscored.

Unloading goods at Shahid Beheshti Port, Chabahar

On November 5, leading a high-ranking delegation, Road Min. Eslami made a 2-day trip to Chabahar Port to implement and break the ground for 24 maritime projects to pave the way for the Port to become a regional trade and transit hub. 

At Shahid Beheshti Port, Minister Eslami inaugurate several projects including a refrigerated container terminal, a new building for repairing strategic equipment, entrance and exit gates of the port, construction of a 100,000-ton grain silo, setting up an access control system, Chabahar port logistics corridor construction project, etc. 

Of the total 24 projects, 13 ones were maritime at the value of 4.12 trillion rials ($14.72mn) and 11 ones were development projects worth 15.94 trillion rials ($56.9mn).

The development of the Chabahar Port is important for the economic development of regional countries and it is worth noting that endorsing regional agreements with neighboring countries are crucial for Iran so that it can increase its transit share to connect the shores of the Indian Ocean to Russia, northern Central Asia, and the Caucasus.

In an earlier interview with Mehr News, the PMO Head Mohammad Rastad said: "Considering its geographical location, Chabahar Port can play a significant role in improving and promoting the transit volume of Iran."

"The port can act as a bridge between the regional countries," he said, "The coastal countries of the Indian Ocean, in particular, India, the Central Asian countries, and Afghanistan can take advantage of Chabahar Port as an interface ring for imports and exports of their products."

"The flow of trade via Chabahar port has commenced and as we witness, exports of products from India to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries and vice versa are being formed," he added.

Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.