Iran's Chabahar Capable of Competing Internationally as Logistic Hub

The managing director of Chabahar Free Zone Organization says that Chabahar port city can compete in the international level just when its infrastructures are completed to make the port a logistic hub. Making the remarks in a recent meeting with Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami, Abdol-Karim Kordi has said, “We have already contracts worth IRR 12.4 trillion (~US$47.6 million) signed on some projects to develop infrastructures in Chabahar and also memorandums of understanding worth IRR 25 trillion (~US$95.1 million) in this field.”

Fortunately, the laws and regulations in Chabahar Free Zone can expedite and facilitate investment making and financing the projects in this zone, the official has underlined. The government’s will for the development of infrastructures in Chabahar has led to the attraction of investors to the zone, in a way that over the past three years, besides some large petrochemical and steel projects, contracts have been signed on investment making for over 500 projects, Kordi further announced.

Lying on the coast of the Gulf of Oman in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Chabahar is the country’s only oceanic port and given its strategic location in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) development of the port is of high significance for Iran, so the government has some major projects to create multi-dimensional transportation facilities in this port.
The port has two significant docks, namely Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari, which are mostly referred to as ports, i.e. Shahid Beheshti Port and Shahid Kalantari Port.

Development of Shahid Beheshti Port, construction of Chabahar International Airport, and building Chabahar-Zahedan (center of Sistan-Baluchestan Province) railway are three of the major projects to make Chabahar a complete logistics platform.

In addition, Chabahar Free Zone has been suggested as a transit and logistic gateway for Iran's domestic market which, while reducing the cost and time of transportation it has also provided profitable economic opportunities in the development of logistics facilities. Chabahar Free Zone is a multi-purpose zone with educational, industrial, tourism and transportation sectors. Chabahar Free Zone Organization has a plan for the development of specialized industrial parks with the participation of the private sector in the fields of industry, logistics, education, healthcare, tourism, etc., which the establishment of logistics industrial park is followed in the framework of upstream programs and documents.

At present Chabahar Free Zone is considered as a transit gateway in eastern Iran and based on national plans and also the interest shown by international parties, it is noteworthy as a center for providing logistics support, transportation and transit services.

Chabahar Free Zone with the aim of facilitating trade and minimizing transportation costs and focusing on services has allocated 150 hectares of land to create a logistics industrial park. This industrial park will be assigned to the international investors and or Iran-foreign joint venture.

Considering the geographical location, this industrial park can be connected to the Chabahar railway and will be established to have full support services. Centers such as public warehouses, cold storages, special warehouses for storing liquid and bulk goods, container warehouses, required laboratories, as well as personnel service facilities have been predicted.

Chabahar-Zahedan railway is going to go operational in the next Iranian calendar year (begins in March 2021). The track-laying operation of the railroad from the Chabahar side was started on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami. - Tehran Times