Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.29/ Trend F.Milad/
Iran's 11 major ports have the loading and unloading capacity of up to 172 million tons, head of the Ports and Maritime Organization Ataollah Sadr stated.
Ataollah Sadr added that just 135 million tons of the ports' capacity is currently being used for loading and unloading goods, the Mehr news agency reported.
The ports have the capacity of 5.7 million TEU, but only 3 million TEU of the capacity is being used, he noted.
Astara commercial port, located in Iran's northern Gilan province, is ready to be inaugurated, Sadr said on August 20.
The Astara port has the capacity of 2.5 million tons of loading and unloading, he added, the Moj news agency reported.
The port has been built as a joint venture by the state-run and the private sector, he noted.
Some 250 billion rials (around $20.4 million) has so far been invested in the project, he said, adding that it aims to enhance commercial transactions with the Caspian Sea states.