TEHRAN – Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) says a third shipping line is going to be launched between Iran’s southern Jask Island and ports in Oman in the coming days, IRIB reported on Thursday.

“To develop and expand the level of trade relations between Iran and Oman, the third shipping line between Jask port and some Omani ports will be launched within the next few days,” Hamid Zadboum said.

Referring to the increase in trade volume between the two countries, he noted that last month the two countries launched a container shipping line to transit cargoes between the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas and Port Sultan Qaboos in Oman.

“The line is used to transit container cargoes, mainly fruits, and vegetables, between the two countries,” the official said.

Iran and Oman had signed a maritime cooperation agreement in December 2019 for boosting maritime transportation between the two countries.

Based on the agreement, Iranian traders and businessmen would be able to interact constructively with their Omani counterparts, and regular shipping lines were to be established between the two countries, while the two sides also pledged to provide facilities for using each other’s ports.

Even before the container line, the two neighbors had already launched four direct shipping lines between their ports.

The first shipping route between the two countries was put into operation in March 2015 between Iran’s Bandar Abbas and Oman’s Sohar.

Later in December 2016, the two neighbors inaugurated direct shipping routes from two Omani ports to the Iranian port of Shahid Bahonar.

In December 2017, they launched another shipping line to connect Iran’s port city of Khorramshahr to the Omani port of Sohar.

EF/MA