Iran’s Chabahar takes delivery of large bulk carriers

Iran says its Chabahar Port on the Sea of Oman is taking delivery of large bulk carriers as the port becomes increasingly involved in processing large container ships.

The port is taking delivery of large cargoes of essential goods, said Behrooz Aghaei, who heads the local port authority in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, where the port of Chabahar is located, adding that a ship carrying over 66,000 metric tons of sugar had docked at the port on Sunday.

The sugar cargo from Brazil is one of the largest docking at the port since last year when Iranian authorities allowed the port to become increasingly involved in processing large container ships, Aghaei said.

He further added that Chabahar, which is planned to become one of the largest and busiest port in the region, had taken delivery of more than 560,000 tons of basic goods since late March and before the sugar cargo arrived from Brazil.

Chabahar is Iran’s largest ocean port and a major connectivity hub which helps India connect with landlocked Afghanistan and countries in Central Asia.

It is also part of the International North-South Corridor that will connect Mumbai to Moscow via Iran and Azerbaijan.

The Iranian government has been scrambling to get ahead of possible disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic as the global spread of the disease can hamper shipments of basic goods bound for the country.

Ports in southern Iran have been operating at almost full capacity to process such shipments despite ravages caused by the pandemic.

The government has tasked Chabahar, which include two commercial ports of Shahid Behehshti and Shahdi Kalantari, to take delivery of at least 50 percent of cargoes for essential products.
Source: The Iranian