Bandar Abbas Explosion: What It Means for Kazakhstan’s Access to the Sea

On April 26, a powerful explosion shook the port of Shahid Rajaei near the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.

Initially, reports indicated 18 people had been killed and 800 injured. However, within two days, the numbers rose to 40 fatalities and 1,200 injured.

The explosion and subsequent fire also destroyed thousands of containers at the port. Orda.kz investigated whether Kazakhstan's cargo was among the damaged goods and whether this incident could impact Kazakhstan’s access to the sea.

Kazakhstan is a participant in the North-South trade corridor, which begins at Russia’s northern ports, passes through the Caspian Sea, and ends in southern Iran, including the port of Bandar Abbas.

Earlier this year, a caravan of 12 twenty-foot containers traveled along the eastern branch of this route, departing from the Indian port of Mundra to Bandar Abbas and continuing by train through Iran, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to Sorokovaya station in Astana.

As the KTZ press service informed Orda.kz, the first caravan arrived in Astana on March 8. Kazakhstan's cargo had already left Bandar Abbas well before the incident occurred.

Additionally, on March 26, the Uzbek railway operator UztemirYulKonteyner reported the dispatch of a second caravan from Mundra. They noted that the journey from the Indian port to Astana would take approximately 25 days, meaning that even the second shipment would have already departed Bandar Abbas by early April.

Will the explosion at the Iranian port still impact Kazakhstan’s trade access to the sea?

Orda.kz posed this question to international economist Anuar Bakhitkhanov. He responded:

The explosion at the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran is certainly an alarming event, but it will not have a direct impact on Kazakhstan's prospects for access to the sea. Since Kazakhstan uses several routes through Iran, and even in the event of temporary disruptions in one port, there are alternatives. However, the incident emphasized the importance of diversifying logistics and could accelerate the development of routes through the Caspian and Caucasus, said Anuar Bakhitkhanov.

Meanwhile, discussions regarding Kazakhstan’s access to Pakistani seaports resurfaced in mid-April. The topic was raised during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, and Pakistan’s Minister of Maritime Affairs.

Just days later, tensions between Pakistan and India flared up again, suggesting that negotiations for access to Pakistani ports may be put on hold for the time being.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin