Iran and Oman are set to launch a new direct shipping route between their ports in the Persian Gulf in a move to help boost economic ties between the two countries, said Iran’s ambassador to Muscat.
Addressing a gathering of 120 Iranian and Omani businesspersons in Muscat on Wednesday, Mohammadreza Nouri Shahroudi said the new line will go on stream within the next two weeks, reported Mehr News Agency.
He did not mention the name of ports that would be linked via the new line.
Pointing to the significant increase in the number of direct flights between the two neighbors from 20 to 48 per week, the Iranian envoy said the expansion of marine transportation between the two countries also follows a similar plan to boost Tehran-Muscat mutual economic interactions.
According to Nouri Shahroudi, Iran’s trade with Oman reached $700 million during the first 11 months of the past Iranian year (March 21, 2018-Feb. 22, 2019), of which $250 million accounted for Iran’s imports from the Arab country.
This would be the fifth direct shipping line between the two countries, after Jask-Suwaiq, Bandar Abbas-Sohar, Khorramshahr-Sohar and Bandar Abbas-Al Suwaiq routes.
The fourth direct marine route was established in December 2018, between Iran’s Jask port and Oman’s Al Suwaiq port to transport the wholesale Iranian commodities to Oman using containers.
