Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) made a return to the Port of Antwerp last week following the lifting of sanctions.

The 2,478 teu containership Azargoun called at the Antwerp Gateway terminal in the Deurganck dock last week resuming calls at the European port that had been a major gateway for Iranian cargo up to 2010.

IRISL is planning for a weekly service deploying vessels of 5,125 to 6,572 teu, but is starting out with a fortnightly service using smaller vessels.

“With its large and growing cargo volume of containers and petrochemical products, Iran offers great potential for a port such as Antwerp which is not only the second-largest container port in Europe but is also home to the continent’s largest integrated petrochemical cluster,” the Port of Antwerp said.