The Iranian Port and Maritime Organization (PMO) said cargo-handling capacity at ports in the south and north of the country had increased by nearly 40% in seven years to a total of 250 million metric tons up to ‘at the end of March.

PMO figures covered in a report released by the state-run IRNA news agency on Sunday showed Iranian ports capacity would reach 280 million tonnes per year with the completion of a handful of projects this year.

The report states that the total port handling capacity in Iran was around 180 million tonnes in the summer of 2013, when the current administrative government took office for a first four-year term.

He said container capacity at ports, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), will have doubled by mid-summer this year compared to eight years ago to a total of 8. , 5 million TEUs.

He said the handling of passengers in ports will have reached a target of 25 million people per year this year, up from 14 million in August 2013.

The expansion of Iranian port capacity comes despite massive restrictions the country has faced over the past three years due to US sanctions.

Shipping and trade involving Iranian ports and maritime entities have often been the target of sanctions, as Washington has sought to stifle the country’s export revenues and make it harder for the government to access fuel supplies. basic products.

While introducing projects to refurbish and modernize trade gateways on the Persian Gulf, Iran has invested heavily in its port of Chabahar on the Arabian Sea and ports in the Caspian Sea to further boost trade with its Arabians. allies and partners.

The country aims to achieve a goal of 500 million metric tonnes of cargo handling capacity at its ports over the next five years.