TEHRAN - Container shipping operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) during the first two months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-May 21, 2017) rose by 61 percent compared to the last year’s same period.

As Tasnim news agency quoted the managing director of Container Transport Company, a subsidiary of IRISL, on Saturday, despite the fact that last year most of the world’s shipping lines experienced some loss, IRISL’s container Transport Company could manage to pass the year profitably.

Hamzeh Keshavarz also mentioned establishing direct shipping lines between Iran’s Chabahar port and India’s Kandla and Mundra ports saying “For the time being 3000 containers have been reserved for loading, and a significant number have also been unloaded.”

According to the official, the container shipping market has been witnessing some drastic changes lately so that most of the world’s top companies have formed alliances to avoid big losses.

He said 2M (Maersk and MSC), Ocean (China Cosco Shipping, Evergreen Line, CMA CGM, and OOCL), and The Alliance (comprising Japanese firms including NYK Line, “K” Line and Yang Ming Line) are some of the alliances formed recently by big container companies around the world.

EF/MA