The director general of Ports and Maritime Authority of Guilan Province said: "Despite the cruel sanctions and the outbreak of the Corona virus in the first half of this year, the loading and unloading of goods from the ports of Guilan province increased by 56 percent."
In an interview with IRNA in Anzali, Hamid Reza Abaie,
referring to the important role that ports play in the country's economy and
trade, added: "Ports are the main gateways for the country's trade, and
currently 85% of the country's trade is done through ports and by the maritime
transport fleet.”
"During the sanctions, we decided to enact laws
and regulations so that we could register goods that have not yet been sent to
the country," he said.
Abaie said: "Currently, our ports are ready to
provide conditions for the owners of goods according to the laws of free and
special zones, so that they can carry out the legal process and steps of importing
goods into the country after registering the order and unloading the cargo."
He emphasized: “these conditions exist in all ports
of the country, especially in the ports of Guilan province, and Anzali port,
considering that it is located within the Anzali Free and Industrial Zone, can
use these laws in a favorable way for all traders.”
Abaie said increasing the length of stay of basic
goods in ports to allocate currency is another way for the Ports and Maritime Organization
to help the economy in the face of sanctions. He added: “Anzali Port Administration is helping the
private sector and traders by reducing warehousing costs for basic goods during
the sanctions.”
Noting that the loading and
unloading of goods has grown well this year, he noted: “In the meantime, Anzali
Port must be upgraded more than before to reach its true position.”
Stating that the Anzali Port
area was originally designed to import the wood and iron, and therefore it was
not important to observe hygienic items in its warehouses, he said: “with the
change of the port approach from the import of iron and wood into the import of
grains, the nature of the port area changed towards the construction of
mechanized warehouses and grain silos.”
Abaie added: “in order to keep
the grains in the best condition, the Anzali Port Administration disinfected
and quarantined all the warehouses of this port in cooperation with the health
network in order to provide more favorable conditions for storing the grains.”
Stating that the necessary
measures are being taken to fight against vermin in the warehouses, he added: “in
case of any problems or issues, the cases will be carefully investigated.”
Referring to the construction
and operation of four grain storage silos in this port, Abaie said: “out of
this number, two silos of 50 and 60 thousand tons have been put into operation
and two silos of 30 and 45 thousand tons will be opened soon.”
He added: “a 35,000 ton silo will
be ready for use by the August.”
In another part of his speech,
the Director General of Ports and Maritime Authority of Guilan Province
emphasized on observing all health protocols in this port and said: “all
personnel are required to use gloves, masks and observe social distance.
Vehicles entering the port and goods being unloaded from ships are also
disinfected and evaluated using sanitation systems.”
Stating that any suspicious
cases will be reported and the quarantine system will be activated, he
emphasized: “The personnel of the incoming and outgoing vessels from the port
and the staff of the port office are thermometed upon entering the office, and
fortunately, no specific case of Covid 19 has been reported in this office so
far.”
Regarding the import of
hazardous goods such as chemicals, etc., he said: "This port operates in
accordance with international conventions and guidelines, and the loading and unloading
of these goods is done according to special instructions."
Abaie added: "first,
dangerous goods are identified and then their loading, unloading and storage in
warehouses are done according to the instructions issued by the central
organization and with full coordination."
The Director General of Ports
and Maritime Authority of Guilan Province emphasized: “in Anzali port, sanitary
quarantines are performed for vegetable, human and animal goods and with the
coordination of the Agricultural-Jihad Organization of Guilan Province, these
goods are sprayed and disinfected.”
Anzali Port with a 100-year
history in the field of maritime transport is now known as a brand and has
always been of special interest to traders and merchants in the region.
Anzali Port with 13 berths and
the ability to load and unload 10 million tons of goods per year is the largest
and most equipped Iranian port on the Caspian Sea.