Dozens of merchant ships with grains and sugar are stuck outside Iranian ports after weeks of delays as payments snags disrupt flows of goods into the country, according to trade sources and shipping data.
The latest payment issues have led to ships being unable to discharge cargoes, with at least 40 bulk carrier ships stuck outside the major Iranian ports of Bandar Imam Khomeini and Bandar Abbas, ship tracking data on Refinitiv showed, Reuters reported.
Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation said in a report in November that some 37 ships loaded with 2.2 million tonnes of goods had not been able to unload due to “documentation and hard currency payment issues” at Bandar Imam Khomeini.
Food security is a priority for Iran and the need for imports has increased because of a drought which has hit domestic food production for two seasons in a row.
In that regard, Russia and Iran are building a new transcontinental trade route stretching from the eastern edge of Europe to the Indian Ocean, a 3,000–kilometer (1,860–mile) passage that’s beyond the reach of any foreign intervention.
The two countries are spending billions of dollars to speed up delivery of cargos along rivers and railways linked by the Caspian Sea, according to Bloomberg.
The goal is to protect economic ties from Western interference and integrate with the rapidly growing economies of Asian countries.
I am wondering, if the goods are for Iran due to drought why is Russia called into the matter? Are we talking of merchandise that is due to Russia or central Asia? The Russians still have enough hard currency, if you mean dollar, euro or gold. is this a plot to show the world that a new global payment system or several of them are need, that are free from western manipulation or control, because the west uses it to block food cargoes?
The north south corridor is not that big, that allows such bulky cargoes. As for food Russia just is in need of sugar, caffe and perhaps tropical fruits. Russian grain transport through central Asia makes little sense, taking into account the enormous quantities Russia produces.
As for the Asian economic integration the process is impossible to stop. Several corridors are working and being improved. But the goal is pan-asiatic. Even the north south corridor its goals is to connect Russia with India, and at a larger sense South Asia. It goes to the Indian Ocean because of the animosity between India and Pakista, and India and China. But even that can be solved in the future.