Iraqi Transport Ministry to purchase new vessels for maritime transport
An aerial view of the breakwater and the progress of the construction work in the Al-Faw Grand Port in Basra, Iraq. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced on Sunday that the construction works in the five berths of Al-Faw Grand Port reached 41 percent, noting that it is intending to purchase advanced ships from international providers.
The Iraqi Ministry of Transport mentioned in a statement that the technical department prepared a complete plan, supervised by the Minister of Transport, Razzaq Al-Saadawi, to purchase modern and advanced ships from international providers specialized in maritime transport.
The statement elaborated that the ministry is trying to increase the number of ships owned by the Iraqi State Company for Maritime Transport, indicating that the ministry currently owns six large ships with different tonnages.
The ministry clarified that the reason of purchasing these ships is to enhance the capacity of maritime transport to be able to transport all cargos to and from Iraq, noting that there are 40 river boats distributed in governorates through which rivers pass.
In regards to ports, the ministry’s statement illustrated that plans have been proposed to develop ports in Iraq, the most important of which is the Al-Faw Grand Port, which is being developed by a Korean company.
The statement elaborated that these plans are included in the governmental program.
The ports of Umm Qasr Al-Shamali and Umm Qasr Al-Janoubi are being developed. Additionally, expansion and dredging works are taking place in canals and mooring locations to increase their depths, which allow them to accommodate large numbers of ships of different tonnages, the statement added.
The Al-Faw Grand Port is located on the Khor Abdallah Channel, near the mouth of Shatt Al Arab.
The Al-Faw Grand Port is being developed by Daewoo E&C and the container terminal is a part of its first phase that goes into operation, according to Maritime Gateway News.
The first phase will have five container shipping berths that can each accommodate ships of up to 23 thousand twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), Maritime Gateway News mentioned.
When fully completed in 2038, the Al-Faw Grand Port, with 100 berths that can handle 7.5 million TEU annually, would overtake Dubai’s 67-berth Jebel Ali as the largest container port in the Middle East, Maritime Gateway News reported.
The first phase of the port, expected to be completed in 2028, is estimated to have an annual container handling capacity of four million TEU, Maritime Gateway News added.
The seven billion USD logistics project will rival the Suez Canal in Egypt as it will be linked through an overland route to Turkey by rail, and would make the port city of Basra a gateway to Europe.