As reported, this amount of shipment was conducted
after equipping this oceanic port and providing up-to-date logistics
facilities.
As Iran’s only oceanic port on the Gulf of Oman,
Chabahar Port holds great significance for the country both politically and
economically. The country has taken serious measures for developing this port
in order to improve the country’s maritime trade.
The port consists
of Shahid Kalantari and ShahidBeheshti terminals, each of which has five berth
facilities. The port is located in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan
Province and is about 120 kilometers southwest of Pakistan’s Baluchistan
Province, where the China-funded Gwadar port is situated.
In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a
trilateral agreement for the strategically located Chabahar port to give New
Delhi access to Kabul and Central Asia.
Later, based on a separate deal with Iran, India
agreed to install and operate modern loading and unloading equipment including
mobile harbor cranes in ShahidBeheshti Port in Chabahar.
Under the framework of the mentioned agreement, the
Indian side has been operating in ShahidBeheshti port in the form of a
build–operate–transfer (BOT) contract; this is the first time that such a
contract has been implemented in one of the country’s ports with 100 percent
foreign investment.
The first consignment of Indian equipment for the
development of port activities at Chabahar port worth $8.5 million arrived in
the southeastern port in January 2021.
Back in last July, India’s ambassador to Tehran
said Iran’s southeastern Chabahar Port is a golden opportunity for India to
expand its economic ties.
“Chabahar’s
position in the expansion of trade exchanges in West Asia, Eurasia, and even
Europe is unique,” the envoy said during a visit to the port