Omani Port of Salalah and Iranian Shahid Rajaee Port and Chabahar Port have inked a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to facilitate growth in shipping, trade and commerce between the two countries.
Under the MoU, Port of Salah, the biggest port in Oman, is to support modernization of Iranian ports by offering its knowledge and expertise. The agreement with the Iranian ports has been signed through the Port and Maritime Authority (PMO) of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The three ports plan to develop joint marketing strategies to enhance trade opportunities and promote an all-water route between Bandar Abbas, Chahbar and Salalah.
“With a number of joint ventures being discussed between the two governments, the local community sees this agreement as a step towards anchoring some of these ventures in Salalah providing career opportunities for the Omani talent,” Ahmed Akaak, Deputy CEO of the Port of Salalah pointed out.
“This agreement provides an opportunity for the three ports to complement and significantly enhance each other’s value proposition by providing the industries in their hinterland a gateway for wider market by leveraging on the location of the partner ports. We also envisage the landlocked countries adjacent to Iran to use the existing multilateral agreements for transport corridors to access new markets and thereby enhance regional trade opportunities,” David Gledhill , the Port of Salalah’s CEO said.
After its economic isolation ended, Iran is renewing maritime ties with numerous countries such as South Korea , Singapore , Germany and China. It became a center of interest for many international shipping companies.