Iran Sends 1st Aquatic Cargo to Thailand via Chabahar Port

Managing Director of Sistan and Balouchestan Ports and Maritime Organization, Behrouz Aqayee said on Thursday that the first ship loaded with Iran's aquatic products left Chabahar for Thailand for the first time.

The shipment of non-edible fish was sent to the Indian port of Mundra via Chabahar, Aqayee said, and added that the cargo was unloaded at this port and loaded on another ship to continue its route to its final destination of Bangkok, Thailand.

Last week, Aqayee had announced that Iran’s largest ocean port witnessed increased operations for unloading staples despite a global outbreak of coronavirus that has affected trade activities across the world

"A ship carrying over 66,000 metric tons of sugar had docked at the port earlier in the day," Head of the local port authority in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Balouchestan Behrouz Aqayee said.

He said that the sugar cargo from Brazil is one of the largest docking at the port since last year when Iranian authorities allowed the port to become increasingly involved in processing large container ships.

Aqayee said that Chabahar, which is planned to become one of the largest and busiest ports in the region, had taken delivery of more than 560,000 tons of basic goods since late March and before the sugar cargo arrived from Brazil.

The Iranian government has been scrambling to get ahead of possible disruption caused by the coronavirus epidemic as the global spread of the disease can hamper shipments of basic goods bound for the country.

Ports in Southern Iran have been operating at almost full capacity to process such shipments despite ravages caused by the pandemic.

The government has tasked Chabahar, which include two commercial ports of Shahid Behehshti and Shahdi Kalantari, to take delivery of at least 50 percent of cargoes for essential products.