International Container Terminal Services Inc. has signed an expansion agreement for the second major development phase of Basra Gateway Terminal in North Port, Umm Qasr, Iraq.

According to ICTSI, two new berths will be developed at the terminal, incorporating a 20-hectare yard area and increasing the annual handling capacity by 600,000 TEUs to a total of 1,200,000 TEUs. The berths will be equipped with quay and landside container-handling systems that will be able to handle container vessels of up to 10,000 TEUs.

“This new US$100 million investment follows hot on the heels of ICTSI’s development of berth 27 and the rehabilitation and upgrade of berths 19, 20 and 21, a US$150 million investment,” said Enrique K. Razon Jr [left in photo], chairman and president of ICTSI. “Our commitment to provide international standard port facilities and services in Iraq is plain to see. It also represents the fruit of a positive working relationship with the Iraq Ministry of Transport, General Company for Ports of Iraq and Governorate of Basra as well as other government agencies. This combined effort will, when the new facilities are completed in 18 months’ time, deliver the new facilities that are essential to support Iraq’s key economic objectives including the resurgence of the non-oil economy.”

Phillip Marsham, CEO of BGT, said that the new development will facilitate the desire of shipowners to introduce larger vessels into the port of Umm Qasr.

“Since we commenced operations at the North Port, Umm Qasr, we have striven to meet the new requirements of ship owners and deliver international standard services,” he said. “The development of berth 27, formally inaugurated in October 2016, represented enormous progress in this respect and the current expansion project will consolidate and expand this important work. Like other ports worldwide, Umm Qasr is now facing the challenge of handling larger-size vessels.”

When fully developed, berths 25, 26 and 27 will offer a continuous berthing line of 600 metres and a yard area of 50 hectares. The new container-handling systems will work in conjunction with new terminal operating systems and benefit from ongoing staff training and continuous improvement of systems.

“BGT has raised the bar in container-handling service in Umm Qasr and Iraq as a whole,” said Hans-Ole Madsen, senior vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa at ICTSI. “The new berths will, through both capacity expansion and the installation of modern infrastructure and handling systems, open the door to even higher levels of efficiency. BGT is unique in undertaking hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in Umm Qasr and as a result is able to progressively deliver a superior service to the benefit of Iraqi cargo owners, shipping lines and the Iraq economy as a whole.”