With Umm Qasr Port News

The ability of the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq to receive direct calls from larger container vessels is being progressively boosted by the new terminal development program at Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT).A significant milestone was reached at the end of August with the servicing of Evergreen’s 5652-TEU capacity Ever Useful with a LOA of 285 meters, beam of 40 meters, and a GRT of 69,246 tons. The vessel is by far the largest to call Berth 27 at BGT.In attendance during the arrival of the boxship and marking the significance of the occasion were Chief Atheal, Iraq Ports Authority-North Port Umm Qasr Director; and Hans-Ole Madsen, ICTSI Senior Vice President and Europe…

The provider of container shipping and global transportation services APL has announced that the Gulf Asia Express 2 (GA2) service will soon be calling the port of Umm Qasr.The CMA CGM=owned company said that the service will also make a second call to Jebel Ali during the return leg of its service rotation to Asia. These developments demonstrate APL’s commitment to continuously provide market connectivity between the Far East and Middle East.The enhanced GA2 service is primed to offer Asian shippers direct access to the Umm Qasr port in Iraq which is only accessible through feeder services via Jebel Ali currently.

Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics conglomerate Milaha has announced the launch of a direct container feeder service between Qatar and Iraq. The new service, which will be an expansion of the existing Qatar-Kuwait service that the company launched last year, will follow a Hamad Port-Umm Qasr (Iraq)-Shuwaikh (Kuwait)-Hamad Port rotation, and will be initially served by one vessel with a 1,015 TEU capacity and 110 reefer plugs. The service will have a transit time of 2 days, making it particularly ideal for dry and refrigerated food stuff, consumer electronics, and construction materials, among other cargo. The first vessel will depart from Hamad Port on 7 May 2018 and reach at Umm Qasr Port on 9 May 2018. Commenting on the launch of the new service, Milaha’s President and CEO Mr.

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) formally opened the first phase of its new greenfield terminal development at its Basra Gateway Terminal in the North Port, Umm Qasr, Iraq. The official inauguration of the new facility marks the implementation of the first entirely foreign financed development of new port infrastructure in Iraq. The Hon. Minister of Transport for Iraq, Kadhem Finjan al-Hamami was in attendance as Enrique K. Razon Jr, ICTSI Chairman and President, formally cut the ribbon, symbolizing the opening of the terminal after which the first container was lifted by one of the two new ship-to-shore cranes installed at the terminal. Also present at the ceremony were Dr. Majid M.

After more than thirty three years of continuous presence in Iraq, the CMA CGM Group will open a new bonded Dry Port near Baghdad in the Abu Ghreib area, in Iraq, in June 2013. Exclusively managed and operated by CMA CGM, the Dry Port will be the only one in Iraq, giving customers the opportunity to custom clear their cargo near Baghdad instead of Umm Qasr, according their convenience time. The Dry Port will connect to CMA CGM’s inland transportation network, with a possible railway connection three kilometers away from the site and fast in bond transit from Umm Qasr. The storage facilities for full containers, LCL and refrigerated cargo will benefit from 24 hours surveillance and security services, keeping the cargo safe at all times.

North America Western Asia Holdings (NAWAH) agrees to modernize Maqal Port, located in Basra’s urban center on the Shatt al Arab waterway. The formal agreement is between Iraq’s Ministry of Transportation, the General Company for the Ports of Iraq, and NAWAH. As part of the agreement, the American company will invest more than $14 million to bring both heavy-lift crane and container handling capabilities to the 93-year-old port. NAWAH will also build a modern container yard adjacent to the port’s berth 14. The company’s agreement with GCPI will extend 10 years. “The speed at which Iraq can rebuild and become prosperous is greatly dependent upon the capacity of its ports,” said Paul Brinkley, NAWAH’s president and CEO.

Kuwait seized an Iraqi oil tanker for reportedly trying to smuggle 650 tons of fuel to the United Arab Emirates in violation of international sanctions. The official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted an Interior Ministry statement as saying that Kuwaiti patrol boats intercepted the tanker at dawn on Saturday (June 24) inside Kuwaiti territorial waters while sailing from Iraq's Umm Qasr port to the UAE. It said that 11 crew members were on board the tanker, which it said was carrying diesel fuel. The agency gave no details on what further action was being taken against the tanker. Ships caught smuggling Iraqi oil are usually auctioned off and proceeds are deposited with the United Nations, which supervises the purchase of humanitarian supplies by Iraq.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to launch a second passenger ferry service to sanctions-hit Iraq soon in a sign of growing ties between the two Arab countries. A UAE official said a Dubai-based private company had obtained United Nations approval for the direct and faster ferry service from Dubai to Iraq's Umm Qasr port, which could start within one month. In 1998 Dubai launched a passenger ferry service to Iraq, which had since included a stop in Bahrain. The official said unlike the Jebel Ali 1 ferry, which takes up to 40 hours to reach its destination, the new sealiner would take about 15 hours to reach Umm Qasr.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) has awarded a contract for assessment and management activities at the Umm Qasr port in Iraq to Stevedoring Services of America (SSA). The contract is valued at $4.8 million. SSA will be responsible for the effective operation of the port, allowing food and other humanitarian and reconstruction materials and supplies to be delivered.