DUBAI: DP World, one of the biggest international port operators, is weighing investment in Iranian ports on the Caspian Sea and the country’s south to tap their potentials for linking the Silk Road from China to Europe.
Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said the Dubai-based port operator is also set to resume operations in southern Iran where international shipping traffic is scrambling back to life after last month’s conclusion of nuclear talks.
“Iran has a good land bridge of rail that will connect the Silk Route from China to Europe,” he told reporters.
Bin Sulayem visited Iran, including Bandar Anzali on the Caspian and Chabahar on the Sea of Oman besides the Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf, two weeks before the landmark nuclear accord.
“We are very interested in the Iranian market and we believe it has great potential,” he said.
DP World is already involved in port operations in Kazakhstan, another littoral Caspian nation bordering China.
Bin Sulayem said his company is talking with the Iranian authorities about possible spending on developing port facilities on the Caspian Sea.
International interest is building in the Silk Road which Iran, China and other regional countries are working to revive with an aim to connect Asia to Europe and Africa.
Iran lies on the crossroads of the emerging transportation route, offering unique maritime and land corridors for transit of goods.
Connectivity opportunities in Iran have generated a surge of interest among international investors in the country’s ports.
Indians, South Koreans and other countries are planning investment in Chabahar. Kazakhs, Chinese and Emiratis are targeting Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf for development.
They are encouraged by a planned lifting of sanctions which had curbed shipping in Iran. Some of the world’s largest container shipping groups have already started services to Iran.
Like bin Sulayem, CEO of the world’s second-largest ocean carrier MSC, Diego Aponte, has visited Iran recently to explore grounds for business.
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