Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.5
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iranian shipping lines are still unable to operate in Europe due to sanctions, the managing director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) managing director said.
Mohammad Hossein Dajmar added that Iranian shipping lines are not allowed to dock at European ports, Iran's Mizanonline website reported.
Iran has no plans to expand shipping routes in the current year, he said, adding that China, India, and Malaysia are the main destinations of Iranian shipping lines.
On November 26, 2013, the EU re-imposed sanctions on a number of Iranian shipping companies, including IRISL, and one company involved in the development of nuclear reactors.
The governments in Europe and the United States had targeted hundreds of Iranian companies such as IRISL, accusing them of aiding Tehran's nuclear program which they suspect has covert military aims and which they want curbed, Reuters reported.
But Europe's second highest General Court has argued in some cases, including the one related to IRISL, that the EU failed to provide sufficient evidence linking the companies to Iran's nuclear work to justify sanctions and ordered to lift them.
Meanwhile, European shipping lines are still unable to resume operation in Iran due to some problems, such as opening LCs.
Although different shipping lines from China, South Korea, and India have announced readiness to resume operation in Iran after easing of sanctions, but European liners are still unable to resume operation in Iran, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on October 13.
Ali Jahandideh, the deputy director of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran said before the easing of sanctions, ships had to unload cargoes at ports in Turkey, the UAE, Georgia, and Oman, and then the cargoes were transported to Iran.
Moreover, shipping services at Iranian ports are lower in quality than services in regional ports. This issue has also disinclined large shipping lines to operate at Iranian ports, he said.