India will supply four more mobile harbour cranes to Iran’s Chabahar port by the end of June this year, a government official said on Friday. In January, India supplied a consignment of two mobile harbour cranes to the Chabahar port having a total contract value of over $25 million.
Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran’s southern coast, the port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost trade ties. “For Chabahar, presently cranes which are available are sufficient for operation of that port. Two more cranes are standing for loading near the port near Venice, which will reach by March end to this port. Two more will reach by June end,” Ministry of Ports, Waterways and Shipping (MoPWS) Additional Secretary Sanjay Bandopadhyaya said during a briefing on Maritime India Summit 2021 to be held from March 2 to March 4.
Secretary, MoPWS, Sanjeev Ranjan, DG Shipping Amitabh Kumar and JNPT Chairman Sanjay Sethi were also present. Bandopadhyaya said after mobile harbour cranes are delivered, there are plans to procure rail-mounted cranes for which bidding is going on.
“Till January 31, 2021, about 123 vessels have berthed at our terminal,” he said, adding that approximately 13,752 TEUs and 18 lakh tonnes of bulk/ general cargo have been handled there and efforts are going on to improve the traffic at the Chabahar port. Since 2017, he said India had sent consignment of 1.1 lakh tonnes of wheat, pulses and other assistance in over 4,800 containers to Afghanistan through Chabahar port.
The bilateral contract between Iran and India was signed on May 23, 2016 with a total value of USD 85 million ?for equipping, mechanising and starting operations at the port under the first phase. In this regard, a special purpose vehicle — India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL), Mumbai — was incorporated under the shipping ministry.
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya said Chabahar is a strategic port with great national importance. Development of the Chabahar port will help in expansion of economic and mutual relations between India and Iran as well as give a further boost to the maritime trade between both the countries.
The location of the Chabahar port has strategic advantage and high potential to provide connectivity among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, specially Eastern CIS nations, and boost trade.
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