Taiwan’s huge container ship to call at Iran port

An Iranian official says Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp. has authorized one of its huge container ships to berth at Shahid Rajaei port in southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

Ebrahim Idani, director general of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Department, was quoted by Iranian media as saying on Tuesday that the fifth-generation container ship, Ever Legion, has started its journey from China’s Shanghai port and will call at various ports in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates’ Jebel Ali Free Zone before berthing at Shahid Rajaei port, which is Iran's biggest container port.

The official noted that the Taiwanese ship is 335 meters long with a draft of 14.5 meters and is scheduled to arrive at Shahid Rajaei port on August 5.

Idani noted that the Evergreen shipping company called at Shahid Rajaei port since 2000, but its activities in Iran were stopped due to sanctions imposed on the country by the European Union and the United States over Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.

On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 group – the US, the UK, Germany, France, China, and Russia – reached the conclusion of negotiations over Tehran’s civilian nuclear program, with the Islamic Republic and the sextet sealing an agreement.

According to the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), all economic and financial sanctions against Iran will be removed. In addition, all bans on Iran’s Central Bank, shipping, oil industry, and many other companies will be lifted.

“Seven container ships operated by the Taiwanese shipping line are expected to call at Shahid Rajaei port to onload and offload 5,000-6,000 TEU of containers per week, thus resuming the company’s activities in Iran,” Idani added.

The official stated that once anti-Iran sanctions are removed, various goods will be directly delivered at Shahid Rajaei port, which is Iran's biggest commercial port, while under sanctions, cargoes first went to the southern Persian Gulf ports to be transferred to Iran aboard smaller vessels later.

He added that direct delivery of goods at Shahid Rajaei port will also create new jobs in addition to increasing the volume of imports and exports from the port.

Taiwan’s Evergreen is not the first international shipping line to resume its activities in Iran after the conclusion of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear talks with the P5+1 group.

On July 22, Idani told reporters that the French CMA CGM shipping company has chosen Shahid Rajaei port as the port of call for its container ships.

“The [first French] container ship, which will call at Shahid Rajaei port is the Andromeda. It is 363 meters (m) long with a draft of 15.5 m, which can carry 11,500 TEU of containers,” he added.

The official noted that investments made in the development of Shahid Rajaei port in the past years have made it a suitable destination for giant container-carrying vessels.

Shahid Rajaei port is located 23 kilometers west of Bandar Abbas, the capital city of southern Iranian province of Hormozgan. The port is equipped with 18 gantry cranes and 41 docks, which make it the biggest and most modern container port in Iran.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk