Iran and Qatar have launched a new direct shipping route, connecting the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr to Qatar's Doha.
The cargo and passenger shipping line is using a roro/passenger ship called Grand Ferry.
Bushehr Maritime Director General Siavash Arjmandzadeh stated: "The first Iran-Qatar permanent shipping line was inaugurated this week and the ship is scheduled to depart Bushehr once a week for Doha, Qatar. The ship could carry the cargo and passengers at the same time."
He continued that the first voyage was supposed to happen on August 2nd, but there were problems with fueling the ship, and moreover, we wanted to have cargo the passengers on board at the same time.
Bushehr Province Ports & Maritime Director General concluded: Bushehr - Qatar ferry is arranged fora round trip of four to five day tours costing between $ 200 to $ 500 depending based on hotel type and class of trip.
Bushehr is 200 miles from Qatar, and the trip takes between 12 and 20 hours depending on the speed of the ship and the weather condition.
Iran has recently established or reactivated a number of sea travel routes, which is expected to lend a hand to the tourism sector that has fallen victim to a foreign currency crisis caused by sanctions.