On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani opened the Five Berths Project, one of the major Al-Faw Port projects implemented by a South Korean company in Basra Governorate, in the south of the country.
Al-Sudani said during a press conference held on the sidelines of receiving the project, “The Iraqis’ dream began to come true after the completion of the first five projects,” adding that “The Al-Faw port project is not only a corridor for transporting goods, but rather constitutes an important axis in the international trade compass.”
Al-Sudani added, “Despite the challenges facing the region and Iraq, we sought to complete the project by taking measures, preparing an international path, and signing a quadripartite agreement with friendly countries.”
Prime Minister, Mr. Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, arrives at Al-Faw Grand Port in Basra Governorate and sponsors the ceremony of handing over the five berths of the port from the Korean company executing the work.#Year_of_Achievements pic.twitter.com/lHPCxhLZI3
— Prime Minister’s Media Office 🇮🇶 (@IraqiPMO) November 7, 2024
During the planning stages of the Al-Faw port project, Iraq promoted the idea that it would be one of the largest ports in the region, if not the largest ever.
In 2020, Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company won a contract to implement the project worth $2.7 billion.
Iraq laid the foundation stone for the large port project in the city of Basra, in the south of the country, more than 14 years ago, and it was described at the time as “the most prominent sign of the new phase in Iraq.”
In addition to the container terminal and port works, the project will include the construction of one of the largest undersea tunnels in the world, leading to the shallow port of Umm Qasr, as well as new ways to improve communications with Basra, according to the Global Construction website, which specializes in construction work around the world.
The tunnel is part of a project announced by Iraq, in May 2023, to establish a land line and a railway line connecting the Gulf to the Turkish border, and it is counting on it to become an essential transport line for goods between the Middle East and Europe.
Baghdad aspires to implement this project, which was called the “Development Road,” in cooperation with countries in the region, namely Qatar, the Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, whose representatives were invited to the Iraqi capital to participate in a conference dedicated to announcing the project in Baghdad last year.
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