ICTSI Chairman Visits Basra Gateway Terminal
Enrique K. Razon Jr., International Container Terminal Services Inc.(ICTSI) chairman and president, recently visited Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), ICTSI’s subsidiary in the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq.
Razon personally inspected the continuing upgrade works in Berth 20, the existing facility in Umm Qasr’s North Port where ICTSI started operations in November 2014.
He also inspected the piling works taking place opposite ICTSI’s existing terminal where ICTSI is investing in the development of an entirely new state-of-the-art container/multi-purpose facility.
Overall, ICTSI is committed to invest US$130 million to upgrade terminal facilities and capacity in order to meet the latest requirements of port users in the port of Umm Qasr.
“We are proud to be present in the port of Umm Qasr to undertake the first foreign financed development of an entirely new port infrastructure and to contribute to the future growth and prosperity of the country. We would like to thank the Governor of Basra and General Company for the Ports of Iraq (GCPI) for working with us in this important endeavour,” said Razon during his visit, which included meetings with diverse stakeholders and BGT staff.
The first phase development of the new container/multi-purpose facility consists of a 250-meter berth and 13 hectares of storage area. Upon completion, the new facility will have a 600 meter berth and 55 hectares of yard / stacking area.
Investments at Berth 20, as well as in personnel training and back-up systems, are already paying off with container handling rates now averaging 24 moves per hour as compared to 10 moves per hour during the early days of terminal operation.
The port of Umm Qasr is Iraq’s premier maritime gateway with a hinterland that extends to the capital city of Baghdad. It also serves some of the world’s largest oilfields in southern Iraq. The multi-purpose capability of BGT is designed to meet high capacity container handling requirements, overspecialised facilities requirements, as well as the general cargo and project cargo requirements at adjacent facilities. The terminal also features a strong land bank for logistic and other activities.
