Tehran, Moscow agree on navigation in Volga for Iranian ships
The Iranian cabinet has issued permission to purchase second-hand ships for Caspian Sea shipping, announced the deputy head of the Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), adding that according to an agreement with Russia, the transit time of the Iranian ships from the Volga was reduced from one year to two weeks.
Majid-Ali Nazi told ILNA that in addition to building ships, the PMO also facilitates the purchase of new and second-hand ships, as clients can buy second-hand ships from countries such as Kazakhstan. Stating that the measure is being taken for the development of the International North-South Transit Corridor, he noted, “We received a special permission from the cabinet to provide facilities even for the purchase of second-hand ships and vessels.”
The permission is only for the supply of the Caspian Sea fleet and is not limited to the country of Kazakhstan, the PMO official explained.
An agreement has been made with Russia on the reduction of the time to change the flag of ships from one year to two weeks, he said.
“Previously, according to Russian laws, every ship that was purchased had to be changed to the Russian flag for transportation, and when it arrived in Iran, the flag was changed again, but today these strictures have been removed; the ship will enter Iran’s waters with the Iranian flag within two weeks,” the official noted.
Currently, on the Caspian Sea route, we are facing an increase in the demand for transporting goods, but since our fleet is limited, the PMO has agreed to purchase more ships, he concluded.