TEHRAN- The loading and unloading of oil products in the ports of Iran increased by four percent in the first ten months of the present Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023-January 20, 2024), as compared to the same period in the past year, the country’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) announced.

As the PMO reported, over 91 million tons of oil products were loaded and unloaded in the ports during the ten-month period.

The PMO has also reported that the loading and unloading of goods in the ports of Iran increased by eight percent in the first ten months of the present year, as compared to the same period in the past year.

As the organization reported, 194,078,457 tons of commodities were loaded and unloaded in the ports during the ten-month period.

During the mentioned period, loading and unloading operations in the container sector also rose six percent year on year.

Based on the data previously released by the Transport and Urban Development Ministry, the loading and unloading of goods in the ports of Iran rose 17 percent during the previous Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended on March 20, 2023), as compared to the preceding year.

The ministry’s data show that the loading and unloading of goods in the country’s ports reached 152.91 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year, while the figure stood at 130.69 million tons in the preceding year.

During the mentioned year, loading and unloading operations in the container sector reached 2.1 million TEUs with a weight of 24.57 million tons, which was 13.5 percent more than the 1.85 million TEUs in the Iranian calendar year 1399, the report said.

The loading and unloading of goods during the previous year also grew by 12.8 percent in the dry bulk sector, while in the liquid bulk sector, the figure increased by 12.6 percent, in the general cargo sector rose by 13.1 percent, and in the oil sector grew by 22.5 percent.

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 a significant role in this battle. This role makes all-out support to ports and more development of them serious and vital.

Such necessity has led the government to define projects for more development of the ports and also take some measures to encourage investment making in ports, in addition to facilitating the loading and unloading of goods, especially basic commodities, there.

It is worth mentioning that Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization has defined a high number of projects to develop and improve the country’s ports, as the country aims to double the capacity of its ports in five years.

According to the PMO, the capacity of the country's ports has increased from 180 million tons in the Iranian calendar year 1392 (ended in March 2014) to 250 million tons in 1399 (ended in March 2021).

In mid-January, PMO launched a single window system for facilitating the processes and procedures related to the maritime industry.

According to PMO Head Ali-Akbar Safaei, the mentioned system has been launched to ensure the secure and fast provision of electronic services to people, customers, and business operators active in the maritime industry.

“Providing electronic services to people, customers, and business owners, as well as ensuring the continuation of port and maritime businesses using the capabilities of the country's expert workforce, is considered one of the priorities of the Ports and Maritime Organization in the field of information and communication technology,” Safaei said.

On January 10, the official said that projects worth 1.5 quadrillion rials (about $3.0 billion) are underway to develop the country’s maritime transportation.

Speaking at a maritime conference in the northern city of Noshahr, Safaei said: “The completion of these projects will create very good employment in the country and will cause economic prosperity.”

Mentioning the country’s maritime-oriented development roadmap suggested by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, he said the government will make every effort to realize the comprehensive roadmap of maritime-oriented development as a turning point in the country's history.

He noted that the government is consulting with the private sector to make the best use of their capacities to further the mentioned plan and achieve the goals set for maritime development.

MA