Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 9 /Trend S.Isayev, T. Jafarov/
Iran will commission new port Astara in the Caspian Sea in two weeks, Iranian Gilan Province Shipping Office Head Farhad Muntasar Kuhsari said, Moj News reported.
The Astara Port will have the capability of loading and unloading of 3.5 million tons annually, while the port will be dealing with 2,5 million tons, Kuhsari noted.
The Iranian shipping company and KAVEH company signed a contract in 2009 to build a new port on the Caspian Sea in the town of Astara (bordering Azerbaijan).
Contract period is 40 years. Construction of the port should be completed in 5-6 years. KAVEH leased the port of Astara for 40 years to turn the fishing port in the trade.
Kuhsari underscored that installation of breakwaters has already been completed, while dredging of the sea is still in progress.
He added that the Iranian Gilan Province Shipping Office has invested some $78 million in the development of the Astara port.
It has been planned to build 30-meter breakwater and four berths to protect the port. Three of the docks are for loading and unloading of dry cargo, and one - for oil and petroleum products.
Two million tons of the port's capacity fell to oil cargo, and the remaining half a million on other types of cargo. The total area of the port is 55 hectares. Three reservoirs in height of 5.5 meters to be built on its territory.
Iran has three ports on the Caspian Sea: Enzeli, Noushehr and Amirabad (the latter was merged with the port of Neka).
The Astara port will be commissioned within the "government week" in Iran, from August 23 to 28, Kuhsari said, adding that at the first stage the port will be dealing with transportation and loading of goods.
The "government week" in Iran is marked each year, since 1981, when Iran's president Mohammad Ali Rajai, Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar and a lot of other officials were assassinated due to a bomb explosion in Tehran.