TEHRAN, Iran, Nov. 30
Trend:
Iran's Chabahar port is the first Iranian port in attracting foreign operators including Indian contractors, the Director-General of Sistan and Baluchestan Province`s Ports and Maritime Organization said.
"After the completion of the first phase of Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar, marketing to attract investors and loading different ships, were among the priorities of the PMO the last two years,” Director General of Sistan and Baluchestan Province`s Ports and Maritime Organization, Behrouz Aghaiee said, Trend reports citing IRNA.
“The presence of Indian operator in Chabahar port, in addition, to boost the traffic of goods, leads to the economic growth of the province,” he said. “The operator contract with the Indian side is long-term (10 years).”
“In addition to operating the Shahid Beheshti port, India is committed to providing strategic equipment worth $85 million under the BOT contract, which will be transferred to Iran after the expiration of the equipment ownership contract,” he said.
He went on to say that India could use the capabilities of the Chabahar port to transport goods to Afghanistan without the need to cross over Pakistan.
"Chabahar is an important port and a low-cost route for access to the countries of the region, especially Afghanistan and Central Asia,” said Aghaiee. “Now there is port infrastructure and strategic equipment for unloading and loading in Chabahar port up to 15 million tons of goods per year.”
"Planning, constructing and completing the first phase of Shahid Beheshti Port Development Plan was a national project,” he said.
Aghaei noted that “Attracting domestic and foreign investment, completing the remaining infrastructure of the railway and port are among the necessities for the development of Chabahar."
"The agreement signed with the Indians is one of the smartest business models and is of great benefit to both countries," said Aghaei. "India can invest in energy, gas, logistics centers, urea and phosphate fertilizer plants, processing plants, and other projects."