First Shipment of Cargo Leaves from Chabahar Port for Southeast Asia

A shipment of Iranian products left for Thailand last week from the Chabahar port, in first such consignment sent from the port to a Southeast Asian country, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The strategically located port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost trade ties among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi.

The Chabahar port, located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, can be easily accessed from India's western coast, bypassing Pakistan.

The first phase of the project was inaugurated in December 2017.

Director General of Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organisation Behrouz Aghaei was quoted by the Iranian media as saying that the shipment of non-edible fishes was sent to the Indian port of Mundra from Chabahar.

In Mundra, the shipment was loaded to another ship to its final destination of Bangkok Port, he said.

India had sent a consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar port in 2017.