EXCLUSIVE: Iraq to rehabilitate southern port

21 January 2018
Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports signs 10-year concession to operate river port in Basra in 2017

The second berth, Berth 13, at Hutchison Ports Basra is to undergo refurbishment, which is expected to improve the facility’s efficiency over time.

The other berth, Berth-14, is operational and handles containerised, general, breakbulk, project and refrigerated cargo. “The capacity of the facility is sensitive to improvements in technology and efficiency over time. The refurbishment would certainly affect it,” a spokesperson for Hutchison Ports tells MEED.

Located along the Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra, southern Iraq, Hutchison Ports Basra is a two-berth container facility. It  has a total yard space of six hectares.

In August last year, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports signed a 10-year concession with the Nawah Port Management (NPM) – a partnership between Chicago-based Pritzker Family Business Interests and local Moosawi family, to operate the port.

The concession agreement carries an option for a 10-year renewal,  the source tells MEED.

As a river port, Hutchison Ports Basra has feeder connections to Bandar Imam Khomeini port in Iran as well as to Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port.

MEED reported in 2014 that NPM, which was operating berth-14 at the time, signed a contract to rehabilitate the 150-metre waterfront at the port’s berth-13 and the 40,000-square metre cargo yard.

The main container terminal in Basra’s Umm Qasr Port is being operated by Sharjah-based Gulftainer.

The terminal has direct access to the main Basra highway and to the major oil fields in southern Iraq. It is also close to the Umm Qasr Logistics Centre, a 750,000 square metre-facility that provides services such as warehousing facilities and customs clearance.

Hutchison Ports operates several terminals across the region including in UAE's Ras al-Khaimah port, Oman's Sohar Port and Saudi Arabia's Dammam port.

 

 

 

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