Al-Faw Grand Port to be deeper than Suez Canal
The construction work in the Al-Faw Grand Port. Photo: Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Parliamentary Oil, Gas and Natural Resources Committee clarified on Saturday that the Al-Faw Grand Port will be significantly important for the oil sector, the Iraqi news Agency (INA) reported.
Committee member, Zainab Juma Al-Moussawi, noted that the port contains six berths for oil export, with a capacity of 250 thousand barrels per day, INA mentioned.
Al-Moussawi indicated that the Al-Faw Grand Port will be able to accommodate larger cargo ships as it is deeper than the Suez Canal, INA explained.
The committee member elaborated that the port will have storage tanks for petroleum product imports with a capacity of 300 thousand cubic meters.
Al-Moussawi confirmed that non-oil exports constitute only four percent of the Iraqi budget, and sources of income can be diversified through projects benefiting from the geographical location of Iraq.
The Iraqi official added that the Al-Faw Grand Port will include 99 berths, which makes it the largest port in West Asia, surpassing the Jebel Ali Port in the UAE, which includes only 67 berths for containers.
The container terminal is part of the first phase of the Al-Faw Grand Port, which is being constructed by Daewoo E&C, according to Maritime Gateway News.
The Al-Faw Grand Port is located on the Khor Abdallah Channel, near the mouth of Shatt Al Arab.