Iranian free trade areas to attract foreign investment:-

Regional and Geographical Features of Qeshm

Qeshm with an area of 1,400 square kilometres including 150 square km of tropical forests is the biggest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. It is nearly three times the size of Bahrain and Singapore combined. The Island is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf not far from the Strait of Hormuz.

It is accessible through the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. The location of the Qeshm Island is such that all ships sailing towards Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman go past the Island. The Island is 120 km long located opposite the Port Cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar Khamir on the southern coast of Iran. The strategic location of Qeshm Island connects it to an international market for 300 million people and to the Iranian market for 60 million people.

Qeshm's Access to Energy Resources

Iran's proven gas reserves is one fifth of the world's total gas reserves and the Qeshm Island lies at the center of gas rich fields of the country. There are two vast gas fields near the Qeshm Island. One is `Gurzin' field which yields two million cubic meters of sweet gas annually for the power plant of Bandar Abbas and the other is the untapped field of `Salakh' whose reserves are believed to be more than the former field. The proximity of the Qeshm Island to huge oil fields makes it possible to establish oil refineries one of whose products cab be coal oil which is widely used in metallurgy. Such refineries can consume sulphur free crude oil that can be obtained from the oil fields adjacent to the Island. Therefore, the Qeshm Island has access to natural resources required for establishment of industries for production of export-oriented commodities such as oil and petrochemical products, construction materials and fisheries.

Infrastructure Facilities

We are planning to continuously expand infrastructural facilities for setting up of industries on the Qeshm Island in an effort to attract necessary investments. Among infrastructural projects that are either under study or construction, reference can be made to construction of residential units, hotels, schools, a big airport, an international university and a large harbour. A 2.5 kilometre long bridge that will connect the Island to the mainland is among the project to be implemented.

Jetties

At present, medium sized merchandise ships, launches and landing crafts can berth at the jetties of the Qeshm Island.

Airport

Only propeller-driven airplanes can now land at the Island's Airport. But an international airport is being constructed which is to become operational within the next year.

Roads

There are 200 km of paved roads on the Qeshm Island and a plan is underway to expand the Island's road network to 300 km by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (to end march 1995).

Telecommunications

The Island has a 500 line telephone network and is also using 300 radio channels and 20 microwaves installed by the TELECOM national company. In addition, negotiations are in progress with international contractors to offer such services as telex lines, facsimile, long distance and local communications, international mobile telephones and so on.

Electricity

On may 30, 1992, the Island was provided with 230 volt electricity through a high voltage transmission line. The power transmitted through the line amounts to 200 megawatts. This is added to the power generated by a power plant on the Island.

Special Coverage

Curinde: Curaçao 
An overview of the Curaçao free zone & industrial zone located in the Caribbean. 

 

Curinde N.V. Curinde N.V. is an abbreviation of 'Curaçao Industrial & International Trade Development Co. N.V.'. Curinde is the managing company of the Harbor Free Zone, the Airport Economic Zone and the Industrial Zone. The company provides professional support to parties interested in establishing in one of the parks. Curinde's specialists can assist with fast and accurate advice regarding the procedures for incorporating and starting a business in Curaçao. They can also refer you to legal, financial and tax advisors, as well as engineers and other technical specialists. Curinde's philosophy is to provide the highest quality facilities to companies in the Harbor Free Zone, the Airport Economic Zone and the Industrial Zone on the most competitive terms.

Harbour Free Zone The Harbor Free Zone is a fenced-in area of 57 acres. Presently, almost 100 merchants occupy a total floor space of close to one million square feet (91,000 square meters). The majority of companies established in the Harbor Free Zone are trading companies that distribute products from the United States, Europe and Asia to the Caribbean and Latin America. Clothing, textile products, cosmetics, shoes and other consumer goods are the items most frequently sold through the zone, though there is a growing business in higher value products, such as pharmaceuticals and industrial products. Besides trading companies, there are also distribution companies offering services to third parties, such as warehousing, distribution, invoicing etc.