Baghdad, Iraq – Iraq’s Minister of Transport, Razzaq Al-Saadawi, announced that the first phase of the Al-Faw Grand Port is set to be completed by the end of 2025.
The Al-Faw Grand Port, expected to become the largest seaport in the Middle East, spans 54 square kilometers and is uniquely situated in open sea waters, according to Al-Saadawi.
The first phase of the project includes the completion of five piers, a 62-kilometer road connecting the port to Umm Qasr city, a 2,400-meter submerged tunnel, a ship canal, and a container yard.
During a field visit last November to assess progress at the southern port, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani inaugurated the first five container berths. Al-Sudani also reviewed the port’s major developments, such as the container yard and the underwater tunnel, which is a crucial component of Iraq’s Development Road.
The submerged tunnel, which is being constructed under the Khor Al-Zubair Channel, forms part of a new highway connecting Al-Faw Grand Port to Umm Qasr Port and the existing transport network, including Iraq’s Development Road.
The Al-Faw Grand Port is located at the mouth of the Shatt Al-Arab, on the Khor Abdallah Channel.
Once completed, the port will feature 100 berths and have the capacity to handle 7.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually, surpassing Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port as the largest container hub in the Middle East by 2038. The first phase is expected to handle 4 million TEU annually by 2028.
This $7 billion logistics project aims to connect Basra to Turkey by land, competing with Egypt’s Suez Canal, and positioning Basra as a key gateway to Europe. The ambitious project will link Asia and Europe through gas and oil pipelines, rail networks, and road systems, with the 2.4-kilometer underwater tunnel being a key feature.
