A total of 2.6 million tons of goods were loaded and unloaded at Shahid Beheshti Terminal in Chabahar Port in the current Iranian year’s first seven months (March 21-Oct. 15), registering a 6% rise compared with the similar period of last year, according to the director general of Sistan-Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organization.
“Non-oil throughput stood at 1.6 million tons, and the rest pertained to oil products,” Qasem Askarinasab was also quoted as saying by the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
The official noted that container throughput of the port stood at 3,000 TEUs during the period under review, adding that 997,000 tons of essential goods were unloaded at Shahid Beheshti Terminal during the same period.
Also known as necessity goods, essential goods are products consumers will buy, regardless of changes in income levels. These include edible oils, wheat, rice and sugar.
Shahid Beheshti Terminal is being developed by India; Shahid Kalantari is another.
Since India began operations at this terminal in late 2018, it has handled bulk cargo transshipments from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Germany, Russia and the UAE.
Experts say the throughput can be significantly enhanced, if the port is linked to the rail network.
India took up the development of Shahid Beheshti Terminal under a tripartite agreement on Chabahar signed with Iran and Afghanistan in May 2016. Afghanistan is effectively no longer part of the arrangements since the takeover of the country by the Taliban last year, although the port has benefited from a US waiver on sanctions imposed on Iran.
India pledged it would invest $85 million in the terminal and has so far supplied cranes and other equipment worth $24 million. However, the supply of more equipment such as heavy gantry cranes is needed for transferring cargo from ships to land.
India and Iran are close to striking a long-term agreement for operations at the strategic Chabahar Port, with the matter held up only by differences on a clause related to arbitration, Hindustan Times reported recently, citing people familiar with the matter.
The long-term agreement, valid for a period of 10 years and to be extended automatically, is meant to replace an initial pact that covered India’s operations at Shahid Beheshti Terminal and has been renewed on an annual basis.
The move comes at a time when China has been showing growing interest in investments in ports and other coastal infrastructure in Iran, and the Iranian side has been pressing New Delhi to step up development of Shahid Beheshti Terminal, which is operated by the state-run India Ports Global Limited.
