Essential goods are moving through Iran’s northern ports far more quickly, with unloading up more than 90%, according to Mohammad Shakibi-Nasb, CEO of the Ports and Maritime Organization. Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Monday, he said round-the-clock port and customs procedures have sharply cut ship waiting times and cargo dwell time at terminals and transit border crossings.
The shift is part of a broader push to expand capacity and raise productivity. Shakibi-Nasb, also deputy minister of transport and urban development, said more than 55% of warehousing capacity now lies outside port grounds but remains under customs supervision, easing storage and stockpiling. Traders’ concerns about strategic equipment at northern ports have also been addressed by transferring loading and unloading machinery from southern ports.
Coordination with Iran Customs has been central: unloading, loading and cargo exit processes now run 24 hours a day. Officials describe the combined measures as synergistic, improving operational capacity and productivity. For importers, the message is practical: essential goods should reach markets faster, with less congestion at ports and borders. The organization says it will keep monitoring performance and respond to economic actors’ demands there. Measures aim to cut costs.
