Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.7
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: The second container terminal has started operation at Iran's Shahid Rajaee port located in south of the country, IRIB reported on December 7.
The terminal came on stream with berthing a 2,500-TEU ship on Thursday.
The second terminal has been launched with the aim of attracting more foreign shipping lines to the region, the official of Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization Mohsen Sadeqifar said.
Iranian ports have a loading and unloading capacity of 184 million tons per year, IRIB quoted former head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization Ataollah Sadr as saying in May.
Some 140 million tons of goods were shipped through the ports last Iranian calendar year, showing five percent rise compared to the previous year, he added.
The past Iranian year ended on March 20.
Over 200 ports are in operation across the country, he stressed.
Iran earns some 14 trillion rials (about $1.15 billion) annually through transportation of goods via ports, the Fars News Agency quoted Sadr as saying in April.
Around $140 billion worth of goods are annually transported via Iranian ports, he added.