Cargo transit via Iran up 42% y/y in 7 months to late October: IRICA

International cargo transit via the Iranian territory rose significantly in the seven months to late October, according to figures by the country’s customs administration (IRICA).

IRICA said on Wednesday that cargo transit via Iran had increased by 42% year on year in the seven months to October 21 to reach a total of 13.239 million metric tons (mt).

Iran’s largest container port and two border crossings in the west of the country were responsible for a bulk of cargo transit via Iran in April-October, said IRICA.

It said that the Port of Shahid Rajaee, located near the southern port of Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf, had processed 3.5 million mt of cargo arriving or leaving Iran for the purpose of shipment to other countries over the seven months to late October.

The border crossings of Parviz Khan and Bashmaq, both located on Iran’s border with Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, had handled 3.3 million mt and 1.8 million mt of cargo transit, respectively, in April-October, said the Iranian customs office.

Cargo transit via the Sarakhs border crossing, on Iran’s border with Turkmenistan and a gateway to trade to Central Asia, rose by 184% year on year in the seven months to late October, the highest increase in 10 major border crossings involved in international cargo transit in Iran, showed IRICA figures.

Transit at Parviz Khan and Bashmaq also rose by 85.4% and 84.9%, respectively, over the same period, IRICA said, adding that the largest amount of cargo arriving in Iran for transit to other countries had been processed at Sarakhs.

Iran has eased restrictions on foreign cargo transit in recent years while it has also introduced plans to improve its railways and roads infrastructure.

That has come as the country seeks to obtain more hard revenues from a growing freight transport activity on the regional north-south and east-west trade corridors.

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