Iraqi ministers to meet over Kuwait port

15 June 2011

Kuwait is building Mubarak port close to Iraqi border

The Iraqi Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Transportation will attend a parliamentary session on 16 June to explain a recent agreement over a Kuwait port.

Earlier in June, Kuwait announced that it was ready to talk and sign an agreement to guarantee that its new Mubarak port will not interfere with operations at Iraq’s existing Umm Qasr port and the planned Grand Faw port.

The $1.1bn Mubarak port will be built on Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island and is just a few kilometres from the border with Iraq. It is expected to be finished by 2016 and will be able to handle 1.8 million containers each year.

The Iraqi authorities are concerned that Mubarak port will take away business from their ports and effect fishermen working in the Gulf. Umm Qasr port could lose up to 60 per cent of its business if Kuwait goes ahead with its plans.


A MEED Subscription...

Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.