| Chabahar Port بندر چابهار | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country | Iran |
| Location | Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan Province |
| Coordinates | 25°18′01″N 60°36′46″E / 25.300278°N 60.612778°E |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1983 |
| Operated by | India through India Ports Global Limited[1] |
| Owned by | Iran through Ports and Maritime Organization |
| Size of harbour | 480 ha (1,200 acres) |
| Land area | 440 ha (1,100 acres) |
| No. of berths | 10 |
| Employees | 1,000 |
| Director General | Behrouz Aghayi |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargo tonnage |  2.1 million tons (2015) |
| Website chabaharport | |
25°18′1″N 60°36′46″E / 25.30028°N 60.61278°E Chabahar Port (Persian: بندر چابهار) is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman. It serves as Iran's only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths.[2] It is only about 170 kilometres west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
Development of the port was first proposed in 1973 by the last Shah of Iran, though development was delayed by the 1979 Iranian Revolution.[3] The first phase of the port was opened in 1983 during the Iran–Iraq War as Iran began shifting seaborne trade east towards the Pakistani border in order to decrease dependency on ports in the Persian Gulf which were vulnerable to attack by the Iraqi Air Force.[4]
India and Iran first agreed to plans to further develop Shahid Beheshti port in 2003, but did not do so on account of sanctions against Iran.[5] As of 2016, the port has ten berths.[2] In May 2016, India and Iran signed a bilateral agreement in which India would refurbish one of the berths at Shahid Beheshti port, and reconstruct a 600 meter long container handling facility at the port.[6] The port is partly intended to provide an alternative for trade between India and Afghanistan as it is 800 kilometers closer to the border of Afghanistan than Pakistan's Karachi port.[7] The port handled 2.1 million tons of cargo in 2015,[8] which was planned to be upgraded to handle 8.5 million tons by 2016, and to 86 million tons in the future.[9][10]
In October 2017, India's first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan was sent through the Chabahar Port.[11] In December 2018, India took over the port's operations.[12] Following the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran, foreign companies became reluctant to participate in the port's expansion,[13] and only 10% of the port's 8.5 million-ton total capacity was utilized in 2019.[14] Sanctions also played a role in reducing India's involvement and investment in the US$1.6 billion Chabahar–Zahedan railway.[15]
- ^ "Union minister Sonowal reviews development work at India-operated Chabahar port in Iran". Times of India. Archived from the original on 2022-08-20. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
- ^ a b "Ports Information - Chabahar". Seas Ark S.A. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ Vatanaka, Alex (2015). Iran and Pakistan: Security, Diplomacy and American Influence. I.B. Taurus & Co. Limited. ISBN 9780857739155. Archived from the original on 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2016-08-11 – via Google Books.
- ^ Alahmad, Nida; Keshavarzian, Arang (Winter 2010). "A War on Multiple Fronts". Middle East Report. 40 (Iran–Iraq War). Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ "India determined to invest in Iranian port development project". Islamic Republic News Agency. 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ "India, Iran moving forward on redeveloping Chabahar port". The Journal of Commerce. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
According to the provisional deal, IPGPL will refurbish a 640-meter (2,100-foot) container handling facility through deployment of new equipment, including four rail-mounted gantry cranes, 16 rubber-tire gantry cranes, two reach stackers and two empty handlers. For the rebuilding of a 600-meter (1,969-foot) multi-purpose berth at Chabahar, Indian authorities will invest in six mobile harbour cranes, 10 forklifts and 10 trailers.
- ^ "Chabahar Port to Leverage Afghan-India Commercial Relations". Archived from the original on November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Indian government firm on developing Chabahar port". Iran Daily. 20 June 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ "Iran' Chabahar port to come on stream in one month". vestnikkavkaza.net. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ Basu, Nayanima. "Centre to rope in private players for Chabahar port project in Iran". @businessline. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ "India's First Shipment of Wheat To Enter Via Chabahar". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- ^ "India takes over operations of Iran's strategic Chabahar Port, can bypass Pak on way to Afghanistan". Hindustan Times. December 24, 2018. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ "US, Iran tensions may put India's Chabahar dreams on hold". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ "Chabahar Port Operations Rise 50%". Financial Tribune. 2019-11-01. Archived from the original on 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
Deputy Industries Minister Hossein Modarres Khiyabani said Chabahar has the capacity of handling up to 8.5 million tons of cargo per year; we are seeking to activate at least 50% of this capacity as soon as possible."
"Currently only 10% of the capacity of Chabahar Port is being utilized, Khiyabani said recently. - ^ Mohan, Geeta (July 21, 2020). "Real reason why India sits out of Iran's Chabahar-Zahedan rail link project". India Today. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-10-21.