Azerbaijan, Baku, August 25/Trend/
The Khajeh Nafas port will begin functioning as Iran's first private port in the Golestan province by harboring a ship weighing 5,000 tons, the Mehr News Agency reported, quoting Deputy Governor of Golestan province Reza Gholami.
"The Khajeh Nafas port is Iran's first private port in the Caspian Sea to connect Kazakhstan, Russia, and the Golestan provinces. It will harbor the first ships by the end of the current year (started on March 20, 2011)", he said.
The Khajeh Nafas port envisions boosting relations with Caspian Sea states, non-oil exports, and transit from Russia, China, and Kazakhstan.
The construction of 17 multifunctional waterfronts will begin after the first phase of the operations is completed.
Khajeh Nafas port is currently under construction and expected to launch by the end of the current solar year (ended on March 20, 2011).
The port was constructed in a 176 hectare region in Khajeh Nafas, with a basic investment of $1 billion, in the Golestan province along the Caspian Sea sidelines.
Construction began in 2006, with a total of 20 percent of operational project in Phase one completed. The waterfront in phase one is predicted to harbor ships weighing 5,000 tons.
The construction of western levies, with length of 1,340 meters, is almost completed with only 160 meters remaining. Construction of 450 meters of the eastern levies has been completed, with 1,110 meters remaining.