Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines has made its first call at the C. Steinweg Terminal at the Port of Hamburg since 2010.

According to the port, the state company’s new cargo service will call at Hamburg once a month, transporting both containers and general cargo. Hamburg will be its only German port of call.

Goods arriving from Iran included fresh and tinned fruit, cotton and other threads, rubber and vegetables, while products such as grain, potash fertilizers, feedstuffs and machinery were loaded onto the vessel.

IRISL operates 170 vessels on services to East Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa and the Mediterranean.

IRISL last called at the C. Steinweg Terminal in May 2010. Until now, calls by the state-owned shipping line were not allowed at European ports due to trade sanctions imposed on Iran.

An increase in seaborne cargo exports from Iran is expected because of the resumption of foreign trade activity in January 2016, according to the Port of Hamburg.