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Manila-based International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has signed an agreement for a second major development phase of the Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT) in North Port, Umm Qasr, Iraq.
Two new berths will be developed, creating a continuous berthing line of 600m when combined with the adjacent Berth 27. The investment, which will also include a 20 hectare yard area, will raise BGT’s annual container handling capacity by 600,000 teu, to a total of 1.2 million teu a year. The berths will be configured and equipped with quayside cranes and landside container handling systems in order to be able to handle container vessels of up to 10,000 teu size.
This latest US$100 million investment project follows hard on the heels of ICTSI’s initial development of Berth 27 and the rehabilitation and upgrade of berths 19, 20 and 21, which represented a US$ 150 million investment. It is expected that the new facilities will be completed in 18 months’ time, and will play a key role in supporting Iraq’s key economic objectives, including the resurgence of the non-oil economy.
Phillip Marsham, BGT chief executive, underlined the fact that the new development will facilitate the introduction of larger capacity vessels into the port of Umm Qasr. He says, “Since we commenced operations at the North Port in Umm Qasr, we have striven to meet the new requirements of ship owners and deliver international standard services. The development of Berth 27, inaugurated in October 2016, represented enormous progress in this respect and the current expansion project will consolidate and expand this important work.”
