The US-led sanctions and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic could not prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from developing infrastructures of the Shaid Rajaee Port Complex in the last months of the administration of President Hassan Rouhani.
The outgoing administration has succeeded in setting up a dock and add up 31 hectares of hinterlands to the port in a bid to pave the way for dodging the sanctions.
The Shaid Rajaee Port Complex is considered the largest, most active and modern port in Iran. It is also a connecting point to link North-South Transit Corridor to the Iranian roads and railways and plays a key role in linking southeastern Asia states to Europe; therefore, equipping and developing transport infrastructures of the port can improve transit industry in the country.
On July 15, President Hassan Rouhani ordered the inauguration of 16 infrastructure projects, via videoconference, which serve to develop maritime and port industry in Hormozgan province, southern Iran.
Mohammad Eslami, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, said in the inaugural ceremony that the Iranian ports have been developed to upgrade to the category of “third generation of ports” in terms of capacity and equipment.
As a result of turning the Shahid Rajaee Port Complex into a “third generation port”, Iran plans to decrease the final prices of commodities and stabilize export through promoting economic and trade attractions, the minister noted.
The Governor-General of Hormozgan Province Fereydoun Hemmati believes that investment in the Shaid Rajaee Port Complex will create more occupations for residents of the province.
One of the main achievements of new agreements to develop the hinterland and infrastructure of the port is the creation of 20,000 job opportunities by allocating 800 million Euros, Hemmati argued.
An official in the Shahid Rajaee Port Complex emphasized that putting into operation an oil terminal in the port will add up 26 million tons to the storage capacity of the port per year.
Alireza Mohammadi Karaji Ran, director-general of ports and maritime of Hormozgan, noted that localization of the know-how of constructing and developing ports relying on the expertise of Iranian engineers proves that the anti-Iran sanctions are doomed to failure.