TEHRAN- The loading and unloading of commodities have increased 13 percent at Shahid Bahonar Port, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province, during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-December 20), compared to the same period of time in the past year, according to an official with the province’s ports and maritime department.

Morteza Salari announced that over 1.4 million tons of goods have been loaded and unloaded at this port during the nine-month period.

He put the average daily loading-unloading capacity of Shahid Bahonar Port at 8,000 tons.

While the coronavirus pandemic has created many limitations for the economic activities all around the world, operations at Iranian ports are underway continuously, and even the U.S. sanctions could not halt activities at the ports.

Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organizations (PMO)’s Head Mohammad Rastad has recently said that the country’s trade gateways were not closed even a moment despite the sanctions and pandemic, adding that loading and unloading of goods, especially the essential goods, are continuously conducted at the ports.

As announced by the PMO head, loading and unloading of commodities are being conducted continuously at the ports of Iran while the health requirements are completely met.

Rastad has reiterated that all port operations are done observing healthcare protocols and the principles set by the Coronavirus Containment Headquarters.

Activities at Chabahar Port (Iran’s only oceanic port in southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province), and Shahid Rajaee Port (Iran’s largest container port in southern Hormozgan Province) in the recent months prove and underline Iran’s outstanding performance under the difficult condition of the sanctions and the pandemic.

In a statement on October 15, PMO declared that loading and unloading of commodities are underway continuously at the country’s ports.

While the enemy is trying to halt Iran’s exports and imports through imposing sanctions, operation at Iranian ports are underway without interruption as the result of the all-out efforts of the organization’s personnel, the statement reads.

Meanwhile, as the PMO head has announced, 11 new development projects with 59 trillion rials (over $1.4 billion) of investment are currently underway at the Iranian ports.

Not only the sanctions could not stop development activities at the ports of Iran, some new development projects have been also defined, Rastad has underscored.

The third phase of the development plan of Shahid Rajaee Port is one of the major projects which is going to go operational by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2021).

While Iran is combating the U.S. unilateral sanctions on its economy, the country’s ports as the major gates of exports and imports play some significant role in this battle, and the ongoing operation at the ports indicates that they are playing their part perfectly.

As reported, loading and unloading of commodities at the ports of Iran have risen six percent during the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19).

MA/MA