TEHRAN – Some 11 large-scale vessels carrying basic goods have been loaded and unloaded at Iran’s oceanic port of Chabahar since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20), Behrouz Aghaei, the director-general of Sistan-Baluchestan Province’s Ports and Maritime Department, announced.

“Although the coronavirus pandemic has overshadowed the world and Iranian trade since the beginning of the year, the process of importing basic goods to the port of Shahid Beheshti in Chabahar has continued, during which 11 ships carrying these goods have been unloaded and loaded, including 8 ships carrying wheat,” Aghaei said.

According to Aghaei, the imports of basic goods into the southeastern Chabahar Port in the current year has increased significantly compared to the previous year and the upward trend is continuing.

“A few days ago, a ship of Russian origin carrying more than 68,000 tons of wheat was unloaded at Shahid Beheshti port,” he said.

The loading and unloading processes are going smoothly in this port because of the modern equipment as well as the existence of the necessary infrastructure, he added.

According to Aghaei, with an annual loading and unloading capacity of 8.5 million tons, Chabahar port is a new destination for the import of basic goods in Iran.

Back in July, the official had announced that 627,000 tons of basic goods were unloaded at Chabahar port since the beginning of the current Iranian year.

“This year, we registered the record of 800 loaded trucks leaving Chabahar’s Shahid Beheshti port in a single day; since one of the goals of this department is to increase the quality of maritime and port services, including facilitation of unloading and loading goods in this ocean port,” the official said.

Having advanced equipment and round-the-clock efforts of the workforce have made this goal achievable and we are witnessing the satisfaction of cargo and goods owners and the significant growth of imports and exports through Chabahar port, he added.

The strategic port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran is the only ocean port on the Makran coast and it has a special place in the country's economic affairs.

Chabahar consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths.

EF/MA