TEHRAN- Loading and unloading of commodities at the ports of Bushehr province, in the southwest of Iran, doubled in the first month of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-April 20), as compared to the same month of the previous year, a provincial official announced.

Siavash Arjomandzadeh, the director-general of Bushehr’s Ports and Maritime Department, announced that 401,000 tons of goods have been loaded and unloaded at the ports of province in the first month of the present year.

The official said that the mentioned commodities were loaded and unloaded from 28 vessels.

He also announced that over 246,000 tons of goods were exported from the ports of Bushehr in the first month of this year, indicating 179 percent growth compared to the first month of the past year.

Loading and unloading of commodities at the ports of Iran have risen six percent during the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), the head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) announced.

Mohammad Rastad also announced that the entrance of ocean vessels to the ports of country has increased eight percent in the previous year, PMO published on its website.

While Iran is combating the U.S. unilateral sanctions on its economy, the country’s ports as the major gates of exports and imports play some significant role in this battle. This role makes all-out support to ports and more development of them serious and vital.

Such necessity has led the government to define projects for more development of the ports and also take some measures to encourage investment making in ports, in addition to facilitate loading and unloading of goods, especially basic commodities, there.

MA/MA