“ALTERNATIVE” & CHALLENGE TO SUEZ CANAL....International North-South Transport Corridor

[aryobarzan]

IRAN TOUTS RUSSIA-IRAN-INDIA ‘NORTH-SOUTH TRADE CORRIDOR’ AS “ALTERNATIVE” & CHALLENGE TO SUEZ CANAL
Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Coming after a ‘successful’ weekend in which sanctions-beleaguered Iran hailed its signing a major 25-year infrastructure and investment agreement with China, Iran’s ambassador to Russia is also touting that a new north-south trade corridor across the region could become a prime ‘alternative’ to the strategic Suez Canal waterway that’s been featured in global headlines due to the ‘Ever Given’ stuck tanker disaster that just played out.
Called the “International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)” — a two decades in the making ambitious project — the new trade corridor, currently partially in operation, is 7,200km long, linking up Russia, Iran, and India and ultimately accelerating trade with Europe as well.

Commenting on the stuck tanker fiasco in the Suez, Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali explained of a potentially less expensive and disaster-prone waterway transport route across Egypt:

“The North-South corridor is a great option to replace the Suez Canal with a reduction in travel times to 20 days and savings of up to 30 percent.”

He further described that the mounting huge costs and fallout from the Ever Given jam disaster (commonly ballparked in the many multiple billions) demonstrates “the need to speed up the completion of infrastructure and the North-South corridor as an alternative to the route through the Suez Canal has become clear and more important than ever.”

Getty Images
A regional analysis site, Silk Road Briefing, reviews the recent history of the project as follows:

The INSTC project came into being in 2002, when the transport ministers of Russia, Iran, and India signed an agreement to create a multimodal ship, rail and road-based transport network stretching 7,200 km, from Mumbai, western India to Moscow via Iran and the Caspian Sea. Since then, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Oman, and Syria have all joined the project, and new routes via Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries have been examined to eliminate the need to transfer cargoes from overland-based transport to cargo ships and back…

The claims of reduced transport travel time and cost are often advanced according to these estimates:

The INSTC corridor has been tested, and cuts current transport costs by between 30-60 percent, in addition to reducing the transit time from west India to western Russia from 40 to 20 days. Dry runs of the route carried out in 2014 and 2017 identified potential bottlenecks and confirmed cost and shipping time estimates.

It’s been dubbed in Russian media, even long before the latest Suez crisis, a challenge to the Suez canal.
Also sometimes compared to the ancient ‘Silk Road’ (the most famous East-West trade route across Asia from antiquity through the Middle Ages) – and somewhat akin to China’s expanding Belt & Road initiative under President Xi, it primarily by rail links two major bodies of water – the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf – by way of Iran to Russia and northern Europe.

 

[ARMalik]

Looks like Iran's ambassador is high on something. We have April Fool's day tomorrow because Iran thinks they can use Pakistan's EEZ to pass indian ships, and Pakistan won't say anything. April Fools day indeed ! Specially now when Pakistan's EEZ was extended by 50,000 additional Sq kilometres.

 

[RIP Pak LAW]

no chahbhar port

 

[aryobarzan]

The Chabahar Port in Iran that is operated by India has completed 18 months of smooth operations and has set a new record of cargo handling.

The port city

Chah Bahar International university (currently accepting students)

 

[Titanium100]

It is not feasible due to the weight ships can carry and not cost effient

 

[aryobarzan]

It is not feasible due to the weight ships can carry and not cost effient

The INSTC corridor has been tested, and cuts current transport costs by between 30-60 percent, in addition to reducing the transit time from west India to western Russia from 40 to 20 days. Dry runs of the route carried out in 2014 and 2017 identified potential bottlenecks and confirmed cost and shipping time estimates.

 

[Titanium100]

The INSTC corridor has been tested, and cuts current transport costs by between 30-60 percent, in addition to reducing the transit time from west India to western Russia from 40 to 20 days. Dry runs of the route carried out in 2014 and 2017 identified potential bottlenecks and confirmed cost and shipping time estimates.

With what are you going to carry everything? And is the route even secure there is so many questions? Will Pakistan allow Indian ships to pass? There is alot of hiccups

 

[Krptonite]

Looks like Iran's ambassador is high on something. We have April Fool's day tomorrow because Iran thinks they can use Pakistan's EEZ to pass indian ships, and Pakistan won't say anything. April Fools day indeed ! Specially now when Pakistan's EEZ was extended by 50,000 additional Sq kilometres.

Resp sir, exclusive economic zone pertains to a nation's rights over the resources in the zone and it is different from a nations territorial waters.

Territorial waters are the same as a nation's territory and enjoys the same benefits and rights as that of land. EEZ as you've mistakenly posted, does not bar any nation from freedom of navigation and its use as a trade route. GoP cannot enforce it's laws except subject to EEZ considerations. As such global shipping lanes traverse through multiple EEZs, unhindered and protected by the laws and rules governing international waters chartered by the UN and ratified by its members including GoP.

GoP simply has no locus standi or powers to stop freedom of navigation through those waters unless it pertains to exploitation of resources in those zones.

I'd recommend reading about the subject matter before opining about it in a public forum.

On topic: Land based routes cannot compete to the volume of trade that a shipping route provides. It is economically unfeasable unless there are more efficient land based systems

 

[Titanium100]

Resp sir, exclusive economic zone pertains to a nation's rights over the resources in the zone and it is different from a nations territorial waters.

Territorial waters are the same as a nation's territory and enjoys the same benefits and rights as that of land. EEZ as you've mistakenly posted, does not bar any nation from freedom of navigation and its use as a trade route. GoP cannot enforce it's laws except subject to EEZ considerations. As such global shipping lanes traverse through multiple EEZs, unhindered and protected by the laws and rules governing international waters chartered by the UN.

GoP simply has no locus standi or powers to stop freedom of navigation through those waters unless it pertains to exploitation of resources in those zones.

I'd recommend reading about the subject matter before opining about it in a public forum.

On topic: Land based routes cannot compete to the volume of trade that a shipping route provides. It is economically unfeasable unless there are more efficient land based systems

Since Pakistan's EEZ has been extended it means territorial waters also extends which means Indian ships are fair game.. who illegally treespass

 

[Krptonite]

Since Pakistan's EEZ has been extended it means territorial waters the same which means Indian ships are fair game..

Google is your friend.

I'd recommend and implore you to kindly learn the difference between exclusive economic zones and territorial waters. It is quite distinct and may alleviate your ignorance on both those subjects.

Any unilateral militaristic action without a legal cause may result in the aggressor being sanctioned and shunned by the global comity or may be taken as a declaration of war and subject to retaliatory strikes.

 

[Titanium100]

Google is your friend.

I'd recommend and suggest you to kindly learn the difference between exclusive economic zones and territorial waters. It is quite distinct and may alleviate your ignorance on both those subjects.

Any unilateral militaristic action without a legal cause may result in the aggressor being sanctioned or may be taken as a declaration of war and subject to retaliatory strikes.

Illegal tresspassing is not allowed. Which means tax has to be paid if such lane were to ever exist. It will never happen people use the normal chokepoint but I am gonna humor you what if it were to become a lane. Tax will be applied using Pakistan EEZ and territorial waters

 

[aryobarzan]

With what are you going to carry everything? And is the route even secure there is so many questions? Will Pakistan allow Indian ships to pass? There is alot of hiccups

The INSTC project came into being in 2002, when the transport ministers of Russia, Iran, and India signed an agreement to create a multimodal ship, rail and road-based transport network stretching 7,200 km, from Mumbai, western India to Moscow via Iran and the Caspian Sea. Since then, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Oman, and Syria have all joined the project,

 

[Krptonite]

Illegal tresspassing is not allowed. Which means tax has to be paid if such lane were to ever exist. It will never happen people use the normal chokepoint but I am gonna humor you what if it were to become a lane. Tax will be applied using Pakistan EEZ and territorial waters

You're confusing territorial waters with EEZ. I'd once again suggest reading and researching about EEZs and the rights they offer to a nation.

For your pleasure and further knowledge:EEZ

 

[Titanium100]

I'd once again suggest reading and researching about EEZs and the rights they offer to a nation.

For your pleasure and further knowledge:EEZ

Look if you are using it as for Economical shipping lane in the EEZ it is taxable. but if you are shipping your own commodities it is all good but if it becomes business it is a breach on the EEZ. If it becomes an official lane. Pakistan has the rights to tax that baby

 

[Krptonite]

Look if you are using it as for Economical shipping lane in the EEZ it is taxable. but if you are shipping your own commodities it is all good but if it becomes business it is a breach on the EEZ. If it becomes an official lane. Pakistan has the rights to tax that baby

That might be your opinion on the matter but it does not align with the international treaties on this subject.

I also realise that you've no interest in knowledge of the subject before embarking on a conversation about it, as such I feel I've said all I've to say and will not reply to any further circuitous debate.