Port of Antwerp strengthens ties with Iranian port

The Belgian port signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week with the Shahid Rajaee Port Authority, which controls the Port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.    The Port of Antwerp signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last week with the Shahid Rajaee Port Authority, which controls the Port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.
   The MOU was signed at the headquarters of the Ports & Maritime Organization in Tehran, which manages Iran’s 11 ports.
   Under the MOU, the port authorities of Antwerp and Bandar Abbas will join forces so companies in both ports can collaborate closely and develop trade between the two regions, according to the Antwerp Port Authority.
   “This will involve, among other things, exchanging information on statistics and port development projects, as well as collaboration in the field of training,” the Antwerp Port Authority said.
   The MOU will run for a period of five years, however, it can be renewed.
   Before sanctions were applied on Iran in 2010, Antwerp was the most important European destination port for Iranian cargo, the port authority said. July 2015’s nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Germany), which constrained Iran’s nuclear activities and came into effect January 2016, effectively lifted the sanctions.
   Consequently, in March 2016, the Iranian Shipping Company Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) returned to Antwerp with the first containership since sanctions were lifted. This loop, which commenced March 17 with the sailing of the 2,478-TEU Azargoun from Hamburg, has a current rotation of Antwerp, Hamburg, Barcelona, Genoa, Ambarli (Istanbul), Bandar Abbas, Damietta and Antwerp, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.
   The Antwerp Port Authority said that in addition to container traffic, breakbulk and bulk freight are expected to expand rapidly in the next few months.