Iran’s Chabahar Free Zone will start operation in one month when its first phase goes on stream, said Hassan Mohammadi Moein, Chabahar Free Zone’s deputy manager for transportation.
The preparations are 95 percent through and as the phase is completed, the port’s transit capacity will increase from 2 to 8.5 million tons, he said, Eurasia Review writes citing Tasnim news agency.
The port currently berths Panamax and Neopanamax ships. It has a 100,000-ton pier. The last phase of the port is expected to be completed in 2020 with 22 piers and a capacity of 86 million tons. The Chabahar-Iranshahr railway will come on stream in two years, Moein said.
The port’s development comes with a budget of 24 trillion rials ($754 million). Investors from India, Belgium, and Spain have expressed willingness to build a new airport inside the zone. Chabahar is headed to become a rival for Gwadar in nearby Pakistan. India is investing heavily in Chabahar.
