Based on the data released by the Iranian Transport and
Urban Development Ministry, loading and unloading of goods in the country’s
ports reached 152.91 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year, while
the figure stood at 130.69 million tons in the preceding year.
During the said year, loading and unloading operations in
the container sector reached 2.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs)
with a weight of 24.57 million tons, which was 13.5 percent more than the 1.85
million TEUs in the Iranian calendar year 1399, the report said.
The loading and unloading of goods during the previous year
also grew by 12.8 percent in the dry bulk sector, while in the liquid bulk
sector the figure increased by 12.6 percent, in the general cargo sector rose by
13.1 percent, and in the petroleum sector grew by 22.5 percent.
While Iran is combating the U.S. unilateral sanctions on its
economy, the country’s ports as the major gates of exports and imports play a
significant role in this battle. This role makes all-out support to ports and
more development of them serious and vital.
Such necessity has led the government to define projects for
more development of the ports and also take some measures to encourage
investment making in ports, in addition, to facilitate loading and unloading of
goods, especially basic commodities, there.
It is worth mentioning that Iran’s Ports and Maritime
Organization (PMO) has defined a high number of projects to develop and improve
the country’s ports, as the country aims to double the capacity of its ports in
a course of five years.
According to Ports and Maritime Organization, the capacity
of the country's ports has increased from 180 million tons in the Iranian
calendar year 1392 (ended in March 2014) to 250 million tons in 1399 (ended in
March 2021).