Foreign Shipping Companies To Return To Iranian Ports

Tehran, July 21, IRNA – Following relative ease of the sanctions on shipping cooperation with Iran, the first foreign shipping line will resume services to the Iranian Port of Shahid Rajaei in coming days, a senior official with Iranˈs Ports and Maritime Organization, Ali Jahandideh said on Sunday. Jahandideh said that Taiwanˈs Wan Hai is the first foreign shipping company to resume its activities in Iran, as a result of easing of Western sanctions on Tehran. He said Wan Haiˈs vessels will regularly travel to Iranian ports from now on. A vessel owned by Wan Hai is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Shahid Rajaei on July 24, Jahandideh said. He said that Iran has officially told international shipping companies that the Port of Shahid Rajaei is ready to dock container and non-container vessels. The official said that three other international shipping companies will resume activity in the Port of Shahid Rajaei soon. He added that shipping companies from India, China, Taiwan and South Korea are also scheduled to return to Iranian ports. The General Court of the European Union on September 16, 2013 annulled EU sanctions on the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and 17 of its subsidiaries. Sanctions have inflicted additional costs between 40 and 100 dollars per ton for transferring European goods to Iran. In addition, the delivery of goods which used to take 3 weeks pre-sanctions, sometimes take 3 months.