TEHRAN – Regular shipping lines went on stream in the Caspian Sea to transport Iran’s products to Central Asian states, announced deputy commerce minister here on Monday.

Mehdi Ghazanfari, also the head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, added that the proposal was accepted by TPOI and Khazar Shipping Company.
The export-bound products will be regularly shipped to the target ports every two weeks, he said.
The official assured the Iranian exporters who want to export products to Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the routine shipping services and prices.
Ghazanfari said that Iran could have access to not only Caspian Sea littoral states but also to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and all states of Russia.
TPOI head added that Iranian goods can be sent to remote Russian regions by rail from Astrakhan port, boasting that many Iranian products such as tiles, ceramics, leather, and shoes can compete in the country’s market.
Iran's commercial fleet with 182 ships ranks 19th in the world and ninth in Asia. They have the capacity to transit 9.8 million tons of goods