Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal paid a visit to the Shahid Behestti port at Chabahar in Iran to review the progress in the development of the port today. In an effort to invigorate the potential of Chabahar port, the Union Minister also handed over Six mobile harbour cranes to Indian Ports Global Chabahar Free Trade Zone (IPGCFTZ) at the port.
He was accompanied by the India’s Ambassador to Iran, Gaddam Dharmendra. Dr Ali Akbar Safaee, Deputy Minister and Managing Director of Ports and Maritime Organisation, Iran, led the Iranian delegation at the launch. Sonowal and Dr Ali Akbar Safaee had a fruitful meeting on development of maritime and port cooperation between Iran and India.
Both the delegation discussed the possibilities of trade & unlock trade potential between Central Asian countries with South Asian, ASEAN and even from Far East countries like Japan and Korea. Sonowal reiterated the role Chabahar port can play in reducing distance, time and cost. It was decided to form a joint technical committee for smooth functioning of the port.
Sonowal, said, “Our shared historical relationship has been the seedbed of Indo Iranian bilateral relationship. The sustained engagement and all round efforts in the preceeding years provide an ideal platform for further expansion and deepening of the bilateral relation”.
Since India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL) assumed operations of Shahid Beheshti Port, it has handled over 4.8 million tons of bulk cargo. The trans-shipment of goods were from varied countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Germany, Oman, Romania, Russia, Thailand, UAE, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
