The announcement was made by Director General of Amirabad Ports and Maritime Organization and Special Economic Zone Siavash Rezvani on Monday.
“About 487,000 tons of goods were exported from the port during the period, showing a 77% surge, year-on-year. The main exported commodities included cement, construction materials like tiles and ceramics, steel, industrial salt, faucets and valves,” the official was quoted as saying by the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
He added that 481 vessels have docked at the port so far this year, which shows a 26% YOY rise, Financial Tribune reported.
Amirabad is the largest port facility on the Caspian shore and the third largest in Iran. The 1,000-hectare port has nine berths, which can accommodate Ro-Ro vessels, trains and trucks.
The port has the capacity for loading and unloading 7.5 million tons of cargo.
During a visit to Amirabad in April 2017, President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the second development phase of the port, consisting of six new berths with a 4-million-ton capacity, as well as new facilities such as warehouses and grain silos.
Rouhani said the development of Amirabad will contribute to “effective trade relations” with the Caspian Sea littoral states and Commonwealth of Independent States, referring to its connection to Iran’s rail network as a big development for Iran’s economy.
The Caspian Sea littoral states, apart from Iran, include Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
Nine States, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are CIS members.
According to Rezvani, the private sector invested 1.47 trillion rials ($16.75 million) in Amirabad Port in the last Iranian year (March 2018-19).
“These investments have been made to set up projects in the fields of flour and fuel storage, and a wood processing unit. These projects have made 30-40% progress so far and will create 500 jobs when completed,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA in March.
Rezvani noted that about 10% of the investments have been made by foreigners.