Iran’s 22 major commercial ports in the north and south of the country handled 109.09 million tons of container goods, dry and liquid bulk commodities, general cargo and oil products during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Dec. 21), registering a 15.2% rise compared with the similar period of last year, latest data released by PMO show.
The volume of container throughput during the period stood at 1.48 million TEUs weighing 17.19 million tons, dry bulk at 35.01 million tons, liquid bulk at 3.05 million tons, general cargo at 15.25 million tons and oil products at 38.59 million tons to register a respective growth rate of 7%, 11.5%, 16%, 21%, 10.7% and 17.1% compared with the corresponding period of last year.
During the same nine-month period of last year, total throughput stood at 94.72 million tons with container loading and unloading standing at 1.38 million TEUs.
The 22 ports reviewed by PMO include Iran’s southern ports of Abadan, Imam Khomeini, Bushehr, Khorramshahr, Genaveh, Bandar Lengeh, Chavibdeh, Arvandkenar, Charak and Dayyer located on the shores of Persian Gulf, Shahid Rajaee, Shahid Bahonar, Shahid Haqqani, Qeshm and Tiab at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, Jask and Chabahar on the coasts of the Sea of Oman and the Caspian ports of Fereydounkenar, Nowshahr, Astara, Amirabad and Anzali in the north.
Shahid Rajaee Special Economic Zone, located in the southern Hormozgan Province, accounts for the highest share of all goods exported from and imported to Iran.
The economic zone, which has a loading/unloading capacity of 100 million tons per year, accounts for over half of Iran's trade and about two-thirds of total freight transit through the country.
The lion’s share of Iran's containers was handled at Shahid Rajaee Port Complex.
With 18 gantry cranes and 40 berths, Rajaee is the most advanced container port of Iran.
Launched in 1985, the port has expanded every year. Today it is connected to 80 ports worldwide.
The significance of this port lies in its large capacity, including its location in the Persian Gulf, container terminal, fuel bunkering, access to 24 kilometers of railroads and round-the-clock truck transportation.
In terms of transit, again Shahid Rajaee Special Economic Zone topped the list of Iranian customs terminals.
GTC’s Essential Goods Imports at Record High
The Government Trading Corporation has imported a record high of 6.2 million tons of essential goods since the beginning of the current Iranian year on March 21, director general of GTC’s Foreign Trade Coordination Department said recently.
“The essential goods were imported through Iran’s southern and northern ports with 294 vessels, which marks a record,” Masoud Raygan was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that the import volume is expected to rise to 10 million tons by the current fiscal yearend (March 20, 2022).
Also known as necessity or basic goods, essential goods are products consumers will buy, regardless of changes in income levels.
“We imported more than 4.22 million tons of wheat, 1.01 million tons of unrefined [edible] oil, 684,000 tons of unrefined sugar and 252,000 tons of rice during the period. These shipments have already been unloaded at our ports of entry and are currently either stored in warehouses or have been distributed to the market across the country’s 31 provinces,” Raygan said.
The official noted that Imam Khomeini Port in Khuzestan Province accounts for 42% of the essential goods imports, Shahid Rajaee Port in Hormozgan Province 32%, Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan Province 14%, Amirabad and Nowshahr ports in Mazandaran Province 6% each and Bushehr Port in the southern Bushehr Province 1%.
“Amirabad and Nowshahr ports each hosted 91 vessels, Imam Khomeini 49, Shahid Rajaee 43, Chabahar 16 and Bushehr 4,” he added.
GTC, affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry, is the lever for enforcing market controls and helps maintain the supply of wheat, rice, cooking oil, sugar and meat for the country’s strategic reserve of essential goods.