Chahabar Port

Chahabar Port

Why in news : Recently, India and Iran discussed the development of chahabar port.

Key tenets about Chahabar port :

  • It is Iran’s only oceanic port, and consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti, each of which has five berths.
  • It is only about 170 kilometres west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar.
  • In October 2017, India’s first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan was sent through the Chabahar Port. In December 2018, India took over the port’s operations.

Significance of chahabar port for India :

  • The Chahabar port boosts the India’s access to Iran. It will also act as a gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor.
  • With the Chahabar port being operational, India can bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan.

  • It helps India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea. China is trying to control the region through Gwadar port which it constructed in Pakistan as a part of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor).
  • Chabahar port will ensure in the establishment of a politically sustainable connectivity between India and Afghanistan. This will, in turn, lead to better economic ties between the two countries.

Syllabus : prelims – places in news, mains- GS-2 ; International Relations.

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