Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) operation at the Port of Umm Qasr, has welcomed the first direct freight service between the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

Operated by DP World, the service connects Jebel Ali in Dubai with Umm Qasr and potentially all of Iraq with roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) shipments.

 [Photo: ICTSI]

ICTSI said that compared to the usual 14-day period for cross-border land transport between the two countries, the service offers a drastically cut alternative travel time of only 36 hours from the Port of Jebel Ali to the Port of Umm Qasr. 

"The service caters to unaccompanied trailers, which are transported by sea sans truck cabs," the terminal operator said in a statement.

It added that from the Port of Jebel Ali, the trailers are loaded onto the vessel and discharged at the Port of Umm Qasr, where a local truck transports it directly to the end destination.

Prior to the start of this service, Iraq-bound cargo from the UAE is transported by road and needed to be transloaded or transferred from one truck to another. 

ICTSI said the arrival of the service complements the fast-growing economy of Iraq by offering a more efficient trade route compared to export and import cargo transiting through neighbouring countries.

"BGT, as the only RoRo terminal in Iraq, is ready for the challenge of facilitating the efficient movement of trade between the two countries," it added.