Direct China link for Bandar Abbas

In 2003 Iranian ports cut their tariffs, offering substantial discounts to international shipping companies. This has led to a considerable rise in business, particularly at Bandar Abbas. In all, 17 shipping lines to date have called at the port, 12 of them liner services. The share of liner calls grew from 35% in 2000 to 65% in 2005, partly due to the reduction in port fees.

Container volumes at Bandar Abbas, the leading container terminal in Iran, increased by 13% in 2005 compared with the previous year, to reach a total of 1.26m teu. MSC and Wan Hai shipping groups already operate regular weekly services to the Gulf port.