Bandar Abbas Port News

Indian officials said on Tuesday they had seized nearly three tonnes of heroin originating from Afghanistan worth an estimated 200 billion rupees ($2.72 billion) amid the chaos following last month's takeover of the country by the Taliban.Afghanistan is the world's biggest illicit opiate supplier, but since taking power, the Islamist Taliban have said they plan to ban the drug trade, without giving details on how.Two people had been arrested in connection with the haul and investigations were ongoing…

Venezuela is shipping jet fuel to Iran in return for vital gasoline imports for the South American nation as part of a swap deal agreed by the two state-run oil firms, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.Iran has ramped up assistance to Venezuela since last year as the United States tightened sanctions on both countries, hitting oil exports by state-run firms Petroleos de Venezuela and National Iranian oil Company (NIOC).Iran has sent flotillas of state-operated tankers carrying gasoline and feedstock for motor fuel to Venezuela, as well as equipment and spare parts to help the once-prosperous OPEC nation restart its…

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in Gulf waters and detained its crew, Iranian media said on Monday, amid tensions between Tehran and Seoul over Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions.Seoul confirmed the seizure of a South Korean chemical tanker by Iranian authorities in the waters off Oman, and demanded its immediate release.Several Iranian media outlets, including state TV, said the Guards navy captured the vessel for polluting the Gulf with chemicals."According to initial reports by local officials, it is purely a technical matter and the ship was taken to shore for polluting the sea…

An Iranian news agency close to the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday there would be repercussions if the United States acted “just like pirates” against an Iranian fuel shipment to Venezuela.A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration told Reuters on Thursday the United States was considering measures it could take in response to Iran’s shipment of fuel to crisis-stricken Venezuela.The oil sectors of Iran and Venezuela, members of OPEC, are both under U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration official declined to specify the measures being weighed but said options would be presented to Trump.“If the United States…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday he expected the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, seized by Iran in July, to be released after the completion of legal procedures in his country."The tanker is going through the final court proceedings. I predict that it will be released," Rouhani said at a news conference in New York during the United Nations' annual gathering of world leaders.The ship's owner, Stena Bulk of Sweden, said on Wednesday the vessel was still being held in Iran despite the lifting of a detention order on the tanker by Tehran.Stena Bulk said it was not in negotiations with Iran and was not aware of…

The Ocean Alliance has launched its new Day Two Product with an estimated 3.6 million TEU carrying capacity provided by approximately 340 containerships deployed on 41 services. The new offering will commence in April 2018. Alliance partners CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen and OOCL will offer 20 Transpacific services, six Asia-Europe services, four Asia-Mediterranean services, four Transatlantic services, five Asia-Middle East services and two Asia-Red Sea services. “Ocean Alliance has been a fantastic success from a customer perspective since its launch last spring and we are very enthusiastic to announce our Day Two Product,” said Olivier Nivoix, Senior Vice President Ocean Alliance Lines.

Members of the OCEAN ALLIANCE, COSCO Container Lines, CMA CGM, Evergreen Line and Orient Overseas Container Line,  signed a document entitled the Day One Product, which sets out the proposed OCEAN ALLIANCE’s network, including port rotation for each service loop. The Day One network intends to deploy around 350 container vessels with an estimated total carrying capacity of 3.5 million TEUs to provide one of the most comprehensive service coverage in the market on the following trade lanes. The vessel deployment details for each service loop, will be released around end of this November. 20 Transpacific services (estimated 160 port pairs, with 13 Asia - West Coast North America services, 7 Asia - East Coast North America and U.S.

The first international container ships began arriving in Iran this week after the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, yet many ship owners remain wary of resuming business until sanctions are removed - still some months away. Iran had depended on foreign ships for much of its imports, but has relied more on land routes and its own commercial fleet, particularly since 2012, as layers of sanctions led to an exodus of Western shipping firms, leading to supply disruptions. In one of the first signs of change, the world's third largest container shipping group, France's CMA CGM, said on Monday it would restart services to Iran in early August.

Germany and Iran seeks to develop economic relations in the field of maritime trade and ports for increasing the trade volume between the two countries, reports PressTV. German Ambassador to Tehran Michael Baron von Ungern was quoted by Fars news agency as saying that increased cooperation between the two countries’ ports will certainly boost the volume of trade between Tehran and Berlin. Germany is a major trade partner for Iran and both sides are willing to develop maritime cooperation between Iran’s Rajaei port and German’s Hormozgan port that are going to be key players in this trade deal. The Rajaei port conforms to international standards and infrastructures for the exchange of goods between two countries.

Iran’s 33rd naval fleet has foiled pirate attacks on two Iranian tankers during the first days of its presence in the open waters and the Gulf of Aden. The timely presence and action of the Iranian Navy’s 33rd Flotilla thwarted the attack by pirate speed boats, equipped with various weapons, on an Iranian oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Aden three days ago, forcing the pirates to flee the scene. Five pirate speedboats had approached the Iranian tankers and were about to launch an assault on them. The Iranian Navy’s 33rd flotilla of warships, which is comprised of martyr vice-admiral Naqdi destroyer and Bandar Abbas logistic warship for intelligence-gathering…

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Italy’s Ignazio Messina & Co. SpA, the world’s second largest roll-on/roll-off tanker operator, to immediately end its Iran operations. Ignazio Messina operates container and roll-on/roll-off services at the port of Bandar Abbas – Iran's largest port through which 90% of its container traffic passes. The Bandar Abbas port is known to be controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In a July 2, 2013 response to UANI, Ignazio Messina stated that “Till [D]ecember 2012 the Terminal Operators assisting our vessels were Messrs Faraz Royal Qeshim Co. Ignazio Messina’s response is insufficient…

CMA CGM announced the delivery of the CMA CGM Figaro, 8500 teu containership built by Samsung Heavy Industry. The CMA CGM Figaro is registered in France and will sail under the French flag (RIF). •    an electronically controlled engine, reducing oil and fuel consumption by respectively 25% and 3%. •    pre-equipment to connect to a port’s electricity supply during operations. Operated on the Asia to the Middle East Gulf trade, while volumes and freight rates are recovering, this new vessel is a strategic asset for CMA CGM and proves the Group’s ability to move forward in the current economic context. The CMA CGM Figaro left the Samsung shipyard to sail to Tianjin…