Date: 12 February 2021 , 21:51
News ID: 10164

Bandar Abbas-Latakia direct shipping line to be launched by early Mar.

Iran is going to establish a direct shipping line between its southern port of Bandar Abbas and Syria’s Mediterranean port of Latakia on March 10, Head of Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce Keyvan Kashefi announced.
Bandar Abbas-Latakia direct shipping line to be launched by early Mar.

According to Kashefi, necessary coordination has been done between the Iran-Syria Joint Chamber and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) so that cargo ships will be scheduled to carry freight from Iran to Syria once per month, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported.

The first cargo will be shipped on March 10, the official said, adding that the service could take place twice a month if demand for shipping to Syria increases on the Iranian side.

The official noted that such regular shipping would definitely have a positive impact on the volume of Iranian exports to Syria and the trade between the two countries.

“There are no restrictions on export items; these ships are both container and bulk carriers, and any trader can choose Syria as his export destination if he/she wants,” Kashefi stressed.

Before the establishment of the new shipping service to Latakia, Iranian exporters had to wait for weeks and even months for their cargo to be forwarded to Syria.

Iran and Syria had previously agreed on connecting the southwestern Iranian port of Emam Khomeini to Syria’s Latakia Port via a railway that passes through Iraq.

The two sides had signed an agreement in this regard back in July 2019, based on which Iran would construct Shalamcheh-Basra railway between Iran and Iraq through which Iran’s Emam Khomeini Port will later be connected to Latakia Port in Syria.

Iran has close political and economic ties with both Iraq and Syria and the economic relations among the three nations have significantly developed in the past few years.

source: TehranTimes