Recently, the first phase of the construction of Fa'ao Port, the largest port in Iraq, with the participation of Chinese enterprises, is about to be completed. The Iraqi government is preparing bidding documents and plans to invite 11 international port operators and logistics providers to participate in cooperative operations.

Fa'ao Port is located at the southernmost tip of Iraq and is an important starting point for Iraq's development infrastructure plan. The overall project design has a throughput capacity of nearly 100 million tons, and the first phase of the project is expected to be officially put into operation in 2025, with an annual throughput of 45 million tons. In addition, Iraq will invest 17 billion dollars to build a railway and highway connecting Fao Port and Türkiye, further opening up the regional traffic artery.

China Communications Tianjin Navigation Bureau undertook the dredging project for the dock foundation trench, harbor basin, and waterway of the project, with a total dredging volume of 106 million cubic meters. According to project manager Wu Lin, the dock foundation has passed the acceptance inspection, and the dredging progress of the harbor and waterway has been completed by 98% and 96% respectively. The overall project is expected to be fully completed in October this year.

Farhan Fatush, general manager of the Iraqi Port Company, said that the Port of Fa'ao is not only a logistics hub, but also a key node for Iraq to integrate into global trade and participate in the the Belt and Road cooperation. He revealed that the Iranian delegation had previously made a special trip to China and the United Arab Emirates to inspect multiple ports and learn advanced operational experience. We visited four ports in China and gained a deeper understanding of how they promote East West trade connectivity. We look forward to applying these experiences to the construction of the Fa'ao Port. Farhan emphasized that the operation of the port will have a significant impact on the regional trade pattern and will promote the diversified development of the Iraqi economy. It is reported that the first phase of the project will adopt a joint operation mode. (This article is from the official website www.seetao.com of Jian Dao. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website port column editor/Yang Beihua