According to the official, 85% of Gilan’s exports are shipped from Astara border terminal, IRNA reported.
“In the fiscal 2017-18, the value of non-oil exports from Gilan Province was $114 million, but despite sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic, $664 million worth of non-oil goods were exported from Gilan in the fiscal 2020-21, which is six time higher [than the export volume in the fiscal 2017-18],” he said.
Gilan Province is offering 80% discount on port tariffs, 60% on marine transportation fees and full exemption on storage costs to ro-ro vessels that dock at the harbors of this Caspian region.
According to Gilan Ports and Maritime Organization, these vessels will also be prioritized when it comes to mooring, the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development reported.
Roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers and railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter. This is in contrast to lift-on/lift-off (LoLo) vessels, which use a crane to load and unload cargo.
Refrigerated container carrier vessels will also be prioritized in mooring and will be granted 25% discount on tariffs, 45% on THC expenses, 48% on taxes and 9% on storage fees.
Gilan is one of the 31 provinces of Iran where Astara and Anzali ports are located. It lies along the Caspian Sea, west of Mazandaran province, east of Ardabil and north of Zanjan and Qazvin. It borders the Republic of Azerbaijan in the north and Russia across the Caspian Sea.
According to Abolqasem Yousefinejad, the superintendent of Gilan Customs Administration, most of Iran’s trade with the Eurasian countries is carried out through this northern province.