Iraq advances key phase of Middle East’s first immersed tunnel
Shafaq News – Basra
Iraq has floated the seventh concrete unit of the immersed tunnel at Grand Al-Faw Port while lowering the sixth into position in the Khor al-Zubair channel, the General Company for Ports announced on Friday.
The tunnel, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will run 2.4 kilometers, including 1.2 kilometers underwater. Built from 10 massive segments, each around 126 meters long, it will link Grand Al-Faw Port to Umm Qasr, creating a direct transport corridor across the sea.
Director General Farhan al-Fartousi told Shafaq News the latest operations mark a critical stage, with flotation and lowering conducted simultaneously to save time. Once fitted with GPS systems and survey towers, the seventh section will extend the completed length to more than 1,070 meters.
Construction has accelerated in 2025, with four other sections submerged since May, including the fifth, named Azal, through the channel’s deepest point in August.
The tunnel is a centerpiece of the Grand Al-Faw Port project, which also includes container berths, highways, and logistics hubs.
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