Iranian Ports Warmly Welcome Investors
Due to the privileged geographical-political position, being placed in north-south and east-west corridors, having access to the sea with 5800 km water border, and having 200 million tons of loading and unloading capacity in 11 major Iranian commercial ports in north and south, the Islamic Republic of Iran can play a highly active and effective role in the international transport chain and supplying goods required by the neighboring countries.
The present potentials and capacities including sharing more than 90 percent of foreign trade by the major commercial ports and the connection of these ports to the extensive network of road and rail transport has turned the transport sector to the focus of the investors’ attention in the post-sanction period.
Meanwhile, because of being placed in the entry, exit and forehead of the foreign trade, Iranian ports are of high and especial economic importance; also for having the benefit of especial economic free zones and the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act (FIPPA), they provide investors with precious opportunities.
Other than attracting the investors in the port development plans, the PMO, as the maritime governance reference in port and maritime fields, welcomes the development projects suggested by domestic and foreign investment applicants in order to increase the competitiveness among the Iranian ports in the region and the world as well as promoting the maritime activities, industry and the ports supporting activities.
Moreover, the PMO of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the official maritime reference has the responsibility of all the marine affairs. In this field, the PMO mission is to ensure the compliance of flagged ships with the international regulations and standards, especially the IMO resolutions, to immunize regional waterways and territorial waters as well as monitoring and controlling the passing vessels in terms of their compliance with the international documents while they are in domestic ports. During the last decade, the I.R.I government has vastly invested in marine fields including: preparedness to pollution incidents, search and rescue operations, and securing the vital shipping lines including Gulf of Aden and Somali waters through dispatching Navy fleet. Reassuring the maritime security in Persian Gulf, Oman Sea, Caspian Sea, and the waters under the territorial sovereignty, Iranian ports are now open to all the vessel types.
In the international arena, the Iranian seafarers, having the highest experience and expertise, are globally famous and the flagged vessels are always in accordance with the latest international standards.
The active, continuous, and efficient presence in the maritime international and regional organizations (IMO, Indian Ocean MOU, MEMAC, PIANC, etc.) is one of the strategic policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In this regard, the establishment of Iran’s permanent representative in IMO, as the center of rule-making in the global maritime field, is also considerable. Iran as one of the first IMO members has played an efficient and constructive role in adopting regulations and this efficient role culminated in the comprehensive reform of the STCW convention in 2010 by presenting more than 40 documents.
Mohammad Saeid Nejad
Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development and Managing Director of Ports and Maritime Organization