Iraq’s Al-Faw Port nears completion with 86% finished container yard

Shafaq News/ Iraq has made significant progress on the Container Yard project at the Al-Faw Grand Port, with completion reaching 86%, a senior port official revealed on Thursday.

Farhan Al-Fartousi, Director-General of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, told Shafaq News that the container yard is part of five major infrastructure projects under development at the port in Basra province. “Situated behind the port's five berths, it is the largest container yard in Iraq and forms a critical part of the port's first development phase,” he noted.

“Covering 2,000 cubic meters, with a length and width of 600 meters, the yard is designed to handle 3.5 million containers annually,” Al-Fartousi explained, adding that the ground beneath the yard has been filled to a depth of seven meters.

The $4.6 billion Al-Faw Grand Port is a strategic initiative intended to position Iraq as a regional trade hub by integrating it into global transport networks. The port, spanning 54 square kilometers, is projected to handle 99 million tons of cargo annually, making it one of the largest in the Arabian Gulf and the tenth-largest worldwide.

Designed with a depth of 19 meters to accommodate the world’s largest vessels, the port aims to facilitate trade between East and West. Construction began in April 2010, and key milestones have been achieved, including the completion of the concrete wall for the berths and the preparation of foundation works.

Iraq’s Ministry of Transport announced substantial progress in September 2022. By 2024, work on the container yard had advanced alongside other final infrastructure components, with authorities pursuing parallel development to expedite completion.