Iraq opens Al-Faw port project's file with the Chinese embassy in Baghdad

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has addressed the Chinese Embassy in Baghdad to inquire about a Chinese company interested in implementing Al-Faw port project in the southernmost governorate of Basra.

The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced recently that the South Korean company, Daewoo, had withdrawn its initial agreement to build Al-Faw port in Basra, attributing the reason to the company's demand for additional sums to proceed with the project.

The Grand port of Al-Faw, located in the Al-Faw Peninsula, south of Basra Governorate, will cost around 4.6 billion euros according to estimates. The planned capacity of the port will be at 99 million tons annually, which makes it one of the largest ports overlooking the Arabian Gulf and the tenth in the world. The foundation stone for this project was laid on April 5, 2010.

The issue of the Grand Port of Al-Faw and the delay in completing it sparked controversy. MPs accused successive governments of concluding deals with neighboring countries that negated the establishment of the port for the benefit of those countries' ports.

The project also witnessed some delay after the suicide of Daewoo's technical director for mysterious reasons.