Tehran, Iran, October 29
By Mehdi Sepahvand –- Trend:
Seventeen liners have started frequenting the Iranian port of Rajaei in the Persian Gulf since sanctions were lifted on Iran in early 2016, said Turaj Amiri, director of the port’s container affairs.
More liners will visit the port in near future, including from Denmark, Japan, France, and Italy, he said, SHANA news agency reported October 29.
This year the load and unload volume at the port will hit 2.1 million containers, he said.
The port used to handle over 3 million containers a year before sanctions crippled Iran’s trade with the world.
Amiri said 20 cranes are going to be installed at the port to increase its capacity from 1.5 million to 3.5 million containers per year.
This week Maersk Line reinstated services to Iran nearly five years after suspending services to the country.
The world’s largest carrier, like others, cut its trade relations with Iran in 2012 due to sanctions imposed by the US, Europe and certain other countries.
With a population of more than 80m, Iran is the second-biggest country in the Middle East and acts as a gateway to all CIS countries, a market of some 400m people.
Today, the country has a gross domestic product estimated at $435bn, which, according to Maersk, is expected to grow by 5.8% and 6.7% over the next two years respectively.