Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia agree on a transit route connecting Persian Gulf with Black Sea

due to the many countries involved it is still not implemented. Iran, connected to the world oceans via the Persian Gulf, has two ports on the Caspian Sea – Amirabad and Anzali – which have an easy connection to the Azerbaijan’s largest port of Baku. Georgian Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi offer perfect connection to Bulgarian ports of Varna and Burgas as well as to Romanian port of Constanta. Baku has excellent multimodal connection to Poti and Batumi. Via Bulgaria and Romania, Iran gains fast and easy access to European Union countries. In the coming months, cargo will be sent from Iran to Azerbaijan across the border in Astara, and from there to Bulgaria. Thus, there are a number of well-connected ports linking the Caspian Sea countries with Europe. Anzali, in the northern Gilan Province and on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, is Iran’s largest port with 17 quays and an annual handling capacity of 10 million tons. It also hosts the only free trade zone in the region. Key to the port is its position on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). It is also home to Anzali Free Zone Mercantile Exchange. The International North–South Transport Corridor is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe. The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. In Amirabad port and in its special economic zone a number of development projects are under way, aimed at expanding the port’s capacity – expansion of the grain handling facilities to boost its annual handling capacity to 18 million tonnes by 2030. The grain silo capacity will be expanded from 170,000 to 500,000 tonnes. Its oil storage capacity will be expanded from 16,000 cubic meters to 70,000 cubic meters to support fuel transit activities. More PortSEurope news about Iranian ports Copyright (C) PortSEurope. All Rights Reserved. 2021