The executive director of the Bulk Cargo Transport Company in the Iranian Maritime Navigation Organization, Abdullah Hosseini, announced the inauguration of a direct maritime line between the port of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province, southern Iran, and the Syrian port of Latakia.
According to the Iranian news agency, Hosseini confirmed that, as part of the export support program and plans established within the country, this direct maritime line will start operations on March 10, 2021. He explained that the maritime line between Bandar Abbas and Latakia will be utilized for the regular monthly transport of Iranian bulk cargo to Syria, noting that various goods, including bulk, general cargo, and containers, will be shipped.
Hosseini expected that if the launch of this direct maritime line receives a positive response from traders and exporters, the trips would increase to two per month. The chairman of the Syrian-Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce, Kiwan Kashfi, confirmed the launch of a regular shipping line between the port of Bandar Abbas and Latakia at a frequency of once a month. Kashfi stated, according to the Iranian “Fars” news agency, that "after the necessary measures are taken, the first commercial vessel will set sail from Bandar Abbas to Latakia on March 10."
Kashfi indicated that "if necessary, a ship will be launched every 15 days instead of once a month," pointing out that while the maritime line had been operational, its irregularity caused delays for traders' goods in the port, leading to lack of economic feasibility due to disruptions and distance.
Kashfi noted that the shipping line would enhance trade relations between the two sides, as shipping and transportation represent fundamental issues for trade between Syria and Iran due to the absence of a shared land border. He believed that "the maritime line between Bandar Abbas and Latakia is better than transporting goods to Syria overland through Iraq or through the Turkish port of Mersin."
In February 2020, the Syrian-Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce revealed the completion of preparations for the Iranian center in the free zone of Damascus to receive Iranian goods and subsequently distribute them in Syria and neighboring countries. There are also plans to establish another Iranian center in Latakia.
It is noteworthy that the chairman of the Iranian-Syrian Chamber of Commerce recently led an economic delegation, comprising businessmen and officials from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, to the city of Aleppo, where they met with officials from the chambers of commerce and industry. The Iranian delegation agreed with chamber officials to discuss several proposals and projects to be implemented throughout 2021. Among the proposals being considered are organizing several exhibitions for Iranian products and raw materials in Aleppo, in the agricultural, industrial, and commercial sectors, providing spare parts for damaged companies and factories in major industrial cities in Aleppo, as well as assisting in securing industrial requirements and machinery.
Additionally, a list of raw materials needed by Aleppo’s industrialists and traders to be sourced from the Iranian market was organized during the meeting, and efforts will be made to secure a land route connecting Iran to Aleppo, along with agreeing on a special system for banking transfers between Iran and Aleppo.
