India has supplied two mobile harbour cranes (MHCs) as part of the first consignment of heavy equipment worth $8.5m to Chabahar port in Iran.
The new equipment will expand operations, enabling the port to carry out cargo handling services seamlessly.
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As part of a deal that includes a total of six MHCs, the two 140t cranes were acquired from Italian company Italgru S.r.l., Hindustan Times reported.
Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan ports and maritime department director-general Behrouz Aghaei said: “The first shipment of strategic loading and unloading equipment worth $8.5m has arrived in Chabahar port to mark the activation of the contract between the Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) and the Indian side.”
Aghaei informed Tehran Times that the cranes will be set up at Chabahar port’s Shahid Beheshti terminal, which will be operated by India under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract.
Aghaei noted that the deal, involving 100% foreign investment, is being implemented in an Iranian port for the first time.
Earlier, Shahid Beheshti terminal went through the installation of grain suckers, gate cranes, and gantry cranes.
On 23 May 2016, Iran and India signed a bilateral contract worth $85m for equipping, automating, and starting operations under Phase-I at the port.
For this purpose, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) Mumbai was integrated under the shipping ministry.
On 14 December, India, Iran, and Uzbekistan held their first trilateral meeting with focus on Chabahar port.
