According to figures published by the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran, non-oil goods accounted for 30.98 million tons of the total throughput, showing a 33.9% fall year-on-year.
The remaining 17.44 million tons pertained to oil products, indicating an 8.24% decline YOY.
Container loading and unloading decreased by 40.24% to stand at 531,650 TEUs.
The 21 ports under study include Iran’s southern ports of Abadan, Imam Khomeini, Bushehr, Khorramshahr, Genaveh, Bandar Lengeh, Chavibdeh, Arvandkenar, Charak and Dayyer located on the shores of the Persian Gulf, Shahid Rajaee, Shahid Bahonar, Qeshm and Tiab at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, Jask and Chabahar on the coasts of the Sea of Oman and the northern ports of Fereydounkenar, Noshahr, Astara, Amirabad and Anzali on the Caspian Sea shoreline.
A total of 21.15 million tons of commodities were exported from these ports and over 12.47 million tons were imported, registering a 31.83% and 9.16% decline respectively YOY.
More than 1.21 million tons of goods were transited through these ports during the same period, indicating a 44.73% decrease YOY.
A total of 139.65 million tons of commodities were loaded and unloaded at the ports under review in the last Iranian year (March 2019-20) to register a meager rise of 0.17% compared with the corresponding period of last year.
Non-oil goods accounted for more than 95.48 million tons of the total throughput, showing a 0.08% year-on-year growth.
The remaining 44.16 million tons pertained to oil products, indicating a 0.7% increase YOY.
Around 69.65 million tons of commodities were exported from the ports under review and 31.15 million tons were imported during the period, showing a 10.28% and 13.92% growth respectively compared with the similar period of last year.
Busiest Ports
A total of 23.11 million tons of commodities were loaded and unloaded in Hormozgan Province’s Shahid Rajaee Port from March 20 to Aug. 21, registering a 27.26% drop compared with the similar period of last year.
This made Shahid Rajaee the country’s busiest port during the period. Non-oil goods accounted for around 13.78 million tons and oil products for more than 11.77 million tons of the total, showing a 35.15% decline and an 11.87% rise respectively year-on-year.
Located 23 kilometers west of the port city of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan Province, Shahid Rajaee is Iran’s biggest container port.
Over half of Iran’s commercial trading is carried out at Shahid Rajaee that also accounts for over 85% of all container throughput in the country.
According to Mohammad Reza Rezaei-Kouchi, the head of Majlis Development Commission, Shahid Rajaee Port has a 6% share in the region’s total container throughput per annum, ILNA reported.
Imam Khomeini Port in the southern Khuzestan Province was the second busiest port during the five-month period, handling more than 14.97 million tons of commodities. The figure shows a 19.83% fall YOY.
The port is the main hub of essential goods imports.
Also known as necessity goods, essential goods are products consumers will buy, regardless of change in income levels.
Imam Khomeini Port has 40 wharfs, 140 kilometers of railroad within its premises.
In the last fiscal year (March 2019-20), 3 million tons of goods were transported from this port via 53,000 wagons. Close to 90% of Iran's demand for livestock feed raw material and 79% of grains are imported from this port.
Non-oil goods accounted for 10.59 million tons and oil products for close to 4.38 million tons of the total throughput at Imam Khomeini Port, registering a 12.61% and 33.18% fall respectively YOY.
The third busiest was Qeshm Port, also in southern Iran. A total of 2.06 tons of goods were loaded and unloaded there, indicating a 32.32% fall compared with the similar period of last year.
Non-oil goods accounted for more than 2.01 million tons and oil products for 48,590 tons of the total throughput in Qeshm Port, showing a 32.52% and 23.28% decrease respectively YOY.
A total of 1.87 million passengers were transported to and from the aforementioned ports, registering a 76.2% plunge compared with last year’s similar period.
Qeshm is the largest island in Iran. It is located a few kilometers off the southern coast of Persian Gulf, opposite the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Khamir.
The island is home to a 300-square-kilometer free zone and stretches over 135 km. It has a strategic location off the Strait of Hormuz, 60 km from the Omani port of Khasab, and about 180 km from the UAE’s Port Rashid.