http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKAM62364820110116

Iraq to ask foreign firms to build 10 ships

* Cost put at around $110 million

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Iraq's Transport Ministry said on Sunday it would invite foreign firms in early March to submit bids to build 10 ships, including bulk cargo and container vessels, for an estimated value of $110 million.

Ismat Amer, head of the state-run sea transport company, said Iraq had started rebuilding its maritime fleet when it bought its first new ship in 2009.

Iraq signed a deal in September with Global Refinery of Switzerland to jointly operate 66 ships. The deal gave Iraq its first maritime fleet since the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003.

"The Transport Ministry intends to invite specialized firms at the beginning of March to build a fleet of 10 ships of different purposes," said Amer. He said the deal was worth roughly $110 million.

Iraq's infrastructure, including its ports, are dilapidated after decades of war, sanctions and economic decline. But Iraq is hoping to rebuild after it signed major oil deals which could quadruple oil output capacity and as violence begins to ease.

Amer said the tender would include four bulk cargo ships, two container ships and one passenger vessel. Construction was expected to take two years.

Amer said the project is part of the government investment plan and money had been allocated. (Reporting by Aseel Kami; Editing by Michael Christie and David Holmes)

The Iraqi sea transport company is going to rebuild the riverine transportation of Iraq along the Shatt Al Arab all the way up to Amarah (the way it used to be until the 1970s).

They are planning on creating new river ports.
http://www.motrans.gov.iq/files/mrsa5n.jpg

The opening of two new ports for the export of oil next month
August 1 2011

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy that Iraq's attempts to reach its production of oil to more than three million barrels per day, the end of this year, stressing that the coming months will witness the opening of two ports for export capacity of 500 thousand barrels per day. Hussein al-Shahristani said in a statement to the site «Alsumaria News» It is Planning «to reach its production of oil to more than three million barrels per day by the end of the year 2011 and to 12 million barrels per day during the next six years, since the introduction of oil fields for development by international companies in the two rounds of licensing the first and second».

He added that the country «produced at the present time 2.00075 million barrels a day, after the result was 2.00035 million barrels over the past year 2010».

Iraq signed in 2010, contracts with several international companies to develop some oil fields in the two rounds of licensing the first and the second to reach a production of at least 11 million barrels per day within the next six years and 12 million barrels a day, after the addition of the quantities produced from other fields of effort national and focused most of those contracts in the fields of the South.

Shahristani said that «the country's oil exports rose to 2.00025 million barrels a day to keep pace with increases in oil production», pointing out that «Iraq will open two ports for export end of the current capacity of 500 thousand barrels a day». And set Iraq's share of three million and 800 thousand barrels per day , but does not currently exported only 2,000,165 barrels a day, and the export share is determined by agreement between the State and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and based on certain criteria the most important reserves of each country, and calls for Iraq to increase its stake depending on the «new oil discoveries» has.

And Iraq contracted with an international company for construction of four floating ports to export crude oil, will work in two of them at the end of the year 2011, and export capacity of the port one of 500 thousand barrels per day.

Iraq to buy 3 cargo ships in China
Sept. 29


Iraq will purchase three commercial cargo ships of 50,000 tons each in order to develop the country's merchant navy.

The General Company for Maritime Transport said, the Ministry of Transport decided to buy the ships in China.

"The ships are under construction and they will meet the newest standards in terms of speed, design and cargo," said Karkhi Samir, general director of the company.

Iraq's merchant navy is almost non-existent. Currently, only one ship, the "Nasser" is at sea for Iraq. The once 14 ships Iraq purchased in the 1950ies were either destroyed or seized during the First and Second Gulf War or in the course of the UN sanctions on Iraq after 1991.

The Ministry of Transport decided to rebuild the merchant navy in order to keep up with the country's economic boom, as well as with the country's plans to export more oil. Iraq plans to increase its oil production from 2.7 million barrels of oil per day (bopd) to 12 million bopd in 2016.

Fifth floating pier expected in Basra - official
October 12 2011


BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: There are intentions to establish the fifth floating oil exporting pier after completing the other four currently under implementation, the Director General of the South Oil Company said today.

The four piers are expected to be finished by 2013 or at the beginning of 2014.

Dhia al-Mussawi told Aswat al-Iraq that the first floating pier will start exporting operations at the end of this year.

He hoped that by the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014, Iraq will export 5-6 million b/d.

Iraqi oil ministry contracted with a number oil investing companies to reach the production capacity to 12 million b/d by 2015.

Basra, center of the province, lies 590 km south of the capital, Baghdad.

Iraq opens ship repair facility
5 Dec 2011


The Iraqi navy has opened a ship repair facility for five vessel classes with assistance from the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command.

The facility in Umm Qasr, Iraq, was equipped by the United States as part of a Foreign Military Sales Agreement and the U.S. Navy will continue to provide it and its Iraqi personnel with training and technical support services.

"I'm very proud of Adm. (Ali Hasan) Ali, head of the Iraqi navy, and his team of sailors who have made the ship repair facility a state-of-the-art, intermediate maintenance operation which will allow the Iraqi Navy to maintain and sustain its growing fleet," said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Kelvin Dixon, director, Iraqi Training and Advising Mission-Navy.

NAVSEA said it began last year to acquire, install and provide training for maintenance and repair equipment. The SRF is divided in five major work centers. NAVSEA installed more than 40 industrial machines and also provided spare parts and support equipment.

In addition to supplying equipment and training Iraqi personnel, NAVSEA helped in the repair and maintenance of legacy Iraqi patrol boats.

Agreement with a Korean company to build 8 vessels
23 Dec. 2011


Department of Transportation announced today that the General Company for Maritime Transport affiliates has conducted talks with South Korean company to build new ships to Iraq.

A ministry statement said the two sides agreed to build 8 vessels with multiple sizes and varieties from South Korea and in a manner of postpaiment.

The statement added that the contract of construction of these ships will be signed next year.

Iraq to Buy 3 More Ships from South Korea
January 3 2012


Iraq’s Transport Ministry said on Monday that it had agreed with the South Korean Doosan company to buy three 17,000 tonne vessels at a cost of $73 million (85 billion IQD), according to AKnews.

Samir al-Karkhi, director of Marine Shipping Company, told the news agency that the Ministry of Transport is making efforts to restore Iraq’s merchant fleet, adding that the three vessels will begin working under an Iraqi flag officially next year.

The Transport Ministry announced last week that Iraq has spent $14 million USD (16 billion IQD) on a 7,000 tonne commercial freighter to be known as ‘the Baghdad’.

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/403609_143463572436418_127201800729262_173452_1783824959_n.jpg


صورة للباخرة بغداد التي تعاقد العراق على صناعتها في الصين وبلغت نسبة الانجاز فيها لحد الان 70 بالمئة

This Vessel will begin service in March 2012, currently it's being tested in China. Two More vessels are contracted for.

the General Company of Iraqi Ports one of the formations of Ministry of Transport signed a contract with the Chinese company( AVIC) for the purchase of three naval haulers with the capacity of (4500hp) and floating fuel tank with the capacity of(100ton )and diving boat with all its accessories .The contract which falls within the Japanese loan projects was signed by the Iraqi side Captain Mohammed Hussein Abdullah, head of the loan project, and for the Chinese side the director of ( AVIC) Mr.Com Jay. The contract is valued at approximately sixty million U.S. dollars. The contract will be completed within twenty-one months including the period of the arrival of units from China to Umm Qasr port. The Iraqi port has signed several contracts with companies of different nationalities within the Japanese loan projects which included the offshore drilling rigs, supply and handling equipment and the development of contender yard ,civil works and services and the supply of a floating crane same of these has been completed and some remain under development and will conclude with a project loan projects LotA2 specialized in the issue of The marine dredger Basra which has not contracted it yet.

More Pics: http://www.scmt.gov.iq/files/newship-2.pdf

Iraqi Marine Oil Terminal to be Ready 25th Jan
Jan 15 2012


The first of four new single-point mooring facilities will be ready to commence operations on Jan. 25, according to a report from Bloomberg.

If correct, this would be a pull-forward of the schedule reported by Reuters on 4th Jan.

Dhia Jaafar, director general of South Oil Company, said the project involves laying pipelines, building eight storage tanks and three other mooring facilities.

Each of the four facilities will add 900,000 bpd to the country’s capacity to export crude oil, Hussain al- Shahristani, deputy prime minister for energy affairs, said last month.

For the first time in decades. Sea shipping starting sailing up the Shatt al Arab to the new port constructed by Shell Oil Company at the Majnoon Oil Field.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0g9ifIAfKn1sk/610x.jpg

good news :D Thanks.

Iraq Takes Delivery of New $14m Ship from China
Posted on 11 April 2012.

Iraq’s Transportation Ministry sent a crew of five sailors to China to take delivery of a new $14m (16.3bn IQD) ship for the Iraqi fleet.
The Iraqi Naval Transportation Company contracted China’s ANT to construct the 7,000-ton ship, which will carry goods from China to Iraq and will “reinforce Iraqi marine trade”.
This brings to nine the number of large ships in the Iraqi fleet, with a total value of $110m (128bn IQD).

Iraq will offer contracts for the construction of eight cargo ships over the next four years in an effort to expand its fleet, the director general of the state naval transport company said.
The government expects in the next two weeks to take delivery of a $14 million cargo vessel built by Avic Dingheng Shipbuilding Co. of China, Sameer Abdul Razzaq said in a telephone interview today in Baghdad. The ship, named the “Baghdad,” will have a loading capacity of 7,800 metric tons, he said.
Iraq signed a $73 million contract in December with South Korea’s Daesun Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. for three vessels due for delivery in 26 months, he said.
The Iraqi government owns a single serviceable cargo ship, Razzaq said. The country’s other ships either sank or fell into disrepair after taking refuge outside Iraq during the 1990 Gulf War, he said. Iraq holds the world’s fifth-largest crude deposits and is seeking to rebuild its economy and infrastructure after decades of conflict and sanctions.
To contact the reporters on this story: Khalid Al-Ansary in Baghdad through the Dubai newsroom at kalansary@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Maher Chmaytelli at mchmaytelli@bloomberg.net

The Iraqi Oil Tankers Co. offered a tender for the purchase or the construction of a crude oil tanker with a capacity of 6,000 metric tons or more.
Companies can submit bids until April 23, according to the website of the state-owned company.
The tanker will be the Iraqi government’s third state-owned oil transport vessel, as it currently operates two 13,500-ton tankers bought in 2007 and 2008. Iraq’s fleet of about 15 oil tankers was destroyed or fell into disrepair since the country’s war with neighboring Iran in the 1980s and subsequent conflicts in the region.

Khor al zubair port.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6826976204_ca78cca180_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6826974518_b68e2bb2e3_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6973087971_e3958ac2a7_c.jpg

the "power ship" floating power station in khor al zubair.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6973090539_b1cfb85de9_c.jpg

Khor Al Zubair LPG terminal
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6748375743_ee11f8d3f7_b.jpg

unused jetties in khor al zubair

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6748375339_0e5d3a8e6b_b.jpg

Khor Al Amaya offshore oil loading platform.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6748367671_d5227f90a7_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6748367515_3c129cfa48_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6748367337_13ddd20a3c_b.jpg

al basra oil terminal.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6126/5977573597_96445fe801_b.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6002/5977573215_01ee3f79f3_b.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5277/5805715262_e3b0eb0f91_b.jpg

accomodation block... dilapidated!
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5313/5805160049_1ee461ef69_b.jpg

here is one of the 4 new single point moorings in Basra. so small and simple compared to the old khor al amaya and al basra oil terminals!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5114/6942305470_6f4206abe3_c.jpg

dredging khor al zubair.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6827647174_ff7ab23246_b.jpg

thanks for the pics sheytan, great view of our oil facilities, you'd think with some 95% of our budget depending on these structures that they'de at least modernise it or renovate it from time to time. looks like its about to collapse :( .

no no. lets build some swish guest houses in the green zone, or lots of new parliaments and head-honcho offices for hundreds of millions... much more important.

well if they actually build something id actually be happy, problem is they build NOTHING. but seriously this is bad, real bad, lets hope they actually take a look at this facility soon, before it goes to hell.

_xFHZPMgduc

8HoqlX4DA2M

Iran, Iraq to Launch 1st Passenger Shipping Line
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian and Iraqi provincial officials have decided to launch the first passenger shipping line between Iran's Southwestern port city of Abadan and the port city of Basra in Southeastern Iraq, an official announced on Tuesday.




"The first shipping line between Abadan and Basra in Iraq will be launched soon," Governor of Abadan city Bahram Ilkhaszadeh told FNA today, adding that the port city of Abadan with a well-equipped terminal enjoys good potentials and capacities to this end.

He said that the passenger shipping line will be launched based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the governorates of Khuzestan and Basra provinces.

He said Basra governor-general had earlier travelled to Iran through the same shipping line, and added that a 400-strong passenger vessel belonging to the private sector is now operation under the shipping line and will carry passengers between Abadan and Basra.

The officials of Iran's Southern provinces and Iraq's Basra province have recently doubled their efforts to increase commercial exchanges between the two sides.

An Iranian provincial economic official in 2010 announced the inauguration of Iran's second trade center in the Iraqi province of Basra.

"To make a maximum use of the capacity of Iranian producers and to promote (the Iranian cooperative sector's) international relations in area of commerce, we will witness the start of operation of the second trade center of Iran's cooperative sector in Iraq's Basra province," Secretary of Iran's Southwestern province of Khuzestan's Chamber of Cooperatives Daqqar Savarri told FNA at the time.

Iran and Iraq have enjoyed growing ties ever since the overthrow of the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, during the 2003 US invasion of the Muslim country.

whats the point, plane tickets to iran are cheap as dirt nowadays, Im not sure how reliable this is, but i heard this allot in iraq that you can now get plane tickets to iran for $1.

Many iraqis are going there for holidays now cause its really cheap since the sanctions kicked in and a getaway from iraq.

they should really build a bridge in the long term to be honest.

^^your basra oil terminal photo post not showng if u can fix pls

Basra to Open Border Crossing with Saudi Arabia
Posted on 02 January 2013. Tags: Basra, borders, Saudi Arabia

By John Lee.
Informed sources in Basra claim that the provincial government intends to open a border crossing with Saudi Arabia with the aim of increasing exports.
Both NINA news agency and Aswat al-Iraq report that the crossing will be in the Ouja al-Batin area, northwest of Basra.
The crossing is expected to be opened later this year

U.S. firms to help Iraq modernize port at Basra
Special to WorldTribune.com
BAGHDAD — Iraq has selected a U.S. consortium to modernize the
nation’s leading port.

Iraq hopes that the modernization of Maqal Port will improve investor confidence in the country. /Iraq Business News
The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has signed a $14 million contract for the modernization of a port in the southern province of Basra.
Under the 10-year accord, the consortium, led by North America
Western Asia Holdings, would construct a container yard in one of 14 berths in the 93-year-old Maqal Port on the Shatt Al Arab waterway.
“Modernizing Maqal Port is one step in Iraq’s greater vision to improve
and expand our country’s shipping and port capabilities,” Iraqi
Transportation Minister Hadi Al Amiri said.
Under the contract, the consortium would dredge Shatt Al Arab — which leads to the northern Gulf — to at least nine meters to accommodate deep-water vessels.
North America, led by a former U.S. Defense Department
official, would work with other American firms, Triton Container
International and Marmon Crane Services.

http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/newsbriefs/2013/01/16/newsbrief-09

Iraq has started construction on eight giant ships for the State Company for Maritime Transport (SCMT), officials said Wednesday (January 16th).

The ships will cost an estimated $450 million to build.

Salam al-Quraishi, economic advisor to the Iraqi government, told Al-Shorfa that Iraq signed a bilateral agreement with two Chinese and French companies to build the vessels, which range in capacity from 17-50 thousand tonnes.

The ships are slated to be finished in three years and will become part of the Iraqi transport fleet, he said.

"The step aims to strengthen commercial transport operations between Iraq and European and Asian countries, as well as Arab Gulf countries," he added.

العراق يبرم عقداً لشراء بواخر فرنسية بحمولة تزيد على 17 الف طن (http://www.aljeeran.net/inp/view.asp?ID=8042)

----

This is not maritime Ali..

وصول زورقي السياب والفراهيدي الى ميناء ام قصر لصالح شركة الموانئ العراقية

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/556618_496978513676977_1256611793_n.png

eee yaba. catamarans :D

I wish they will use it to ferry people to Fao...it will be much faster and safer than the road trip:D

وصول زورقي السياب والفراهيدي الى ميناء ام قصر لصالح شركة الموانئ العراقية

http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/556618_496978513676977_1256611793_n.png

what are those ?

what are those ?

قوارب مراقبة

jfPq9MyUYLg

Ceremonies for DOHUK and KARBALA Successfully launched to the Sea

IHC Merwede has successfully launched the 500m3 grab hopper dredger, DOHUK, and the 3,500m3 trailing suction hopper dredger, KARBALA, in two ceremonies on 25 July 2012 at the company's shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, The Netherlands. The DOHUK was launched early in the morning, followed later by the ceremony for the KARBALA.

http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/newsbriefs/2013/01/16/newsbrief-09

Iraq has started construction on eight giant ships for the State Company for Maritime Transport (SCMT), officials said Wednesday (January 16th).

The ships will cost an estimated $450 million to build.

Salam al-Quraishi, economic advisor to the Iraqi government, told Al-Shorfa that Iraq signed a bilateral agreement with two Chinese and French companies to build the vessels, which range in capacity from 17-50 thousand tonnes.

The ships are slated to be finished in three years and will become part of the Iraqi transport fleet, he said.

"The step aims to strengthen commercial transport operations between Iraq and European and Asian countries, as well as Arab Gulf countries," he added.

Will the Iraqis have a significant role in the construction or is it going to all be done by the French and Chinese companies?

these will all be built abroad. the shipyards in basra aren't large enough to build such vessels.

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/427210_500850779956417_961541755_n.jpg

Why is it called duhok Basra ?

Why is it called duhok Basra ?

so the kurds don't claim it :D

so the kurds don't claim it :D

:lol:

her biji. evidence if there was ever needed that basra is part of the disputed territories!

:troll:

Actually even Super Kurdistan doesn't reach Basra; comes very close but not quite;

http://www.jawadmella.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/contemporarykurdistanmap2005.jpg

......So you guys have nothing to worry about. Enough with the paranoia please. :|

Iraqi Navy receives additional patrol boats from US
25 February 2013


The Iraqi Navy has officially received the tenth and 11th 35m-long coastal patrol boats, PB-310 and PB-311, from the US Navy at Umm Qasr Naval Base south of Baghdad following successful completion of reactivation in Bahrain.

US Navy Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships' Support Ships, Boats and Craft programme manager Frank McCarthey said: "Together with the nine patrol boats previously delivered, these two new vessels are a significant step toward meeting Iraq's security requirements in the northern Arabian Gulf."

The navy is procuring the patrol boats from the US to boost its ability to enforce maritime sovereignty and security in the northern Arabian Gulf.

Swiftships Shipbuilders was contracted by the US Naval Sea Systems Command to build a total of 12 vessels for the Iraqi Navy.

Designed to operate up to 200m from shore and accommodate four officers and eight crew members, the patrol boats are armed with a 30mm gun weapon system and can cruise at a speed of 30k.

"Together with the nine patrol boats previously delivered, these two new vessels are a significant step toward meeting Iraq's security requirements in the northern Arabian Gulf."

Equipped with three Hamilton HM651 Series waterjet propulsion units, the vessel's operational features include main engine, generator and electronic packages, as well as conventional propulsion, arrangement and colour scheme.

In addition, the vessels are integrated with Icom M710 SSB, Furuno FR2115 navigation radars, Furuno FAP-330 autopilot, Furuon GP-37 DGPS, and Simrad/Taiyo TD-L1550A automatic direction finder, as well as Icom M127 VHF radios.

The patrol ships acquisition is being managed by the Support Ships, Boats, and Craft Program Office under the US foreign military sales (FMS) programme.

The final patrol boat is expected to be delivered to the Iraqi Navy later this year.

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/427210_500850779956417_961541755_n.jpg
10:55
mSiK6Uh3EK0
10:55

CMA CGM to open new Iraq dry port in June

by CW Staff on Apr 1, 2013

CMA CGM has announced it is opening a new dry port near the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in June 2013.

The world’s third-largest shipping container group will manage and operate the port, located in the Abu Ghreib area, allowing customers to custom clear their cargo near Baghdad instead of Umm Qasr.

The 165,000m2 dry port will be connected to CMA CGM’s inland transportation network, with a possible railway connection 3km away from the site and fast in-bound transit from Umm Qasr.

Storage facilities for full containers, LCL and refrigerated cargo will benefit from 24 hours surveillance and security services, keeping the cargo safe at all times, says the firm. Total storage capacity will be 12,000 TEUs.

CMA CGM has four offices in Iraq and operates two dedicated feeder services connecting the Iraqi Port of Umm Qasr with its Khorfakkan hub, Sharjah, UAE.

Iraqi ports to monitor cargo truck traffic
The state-run General Company for Ports of Iraq is embarking on a project to regulate the movement of trucks carrying cargo containers to and from all Iraqi ports.

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The project aims to provide security and quality control for trucks transporting goods and merchandise to and from sea ports and border outlets inside Iraq, company general director Omran Radhi told Mawtani.

Radhi said his company signed last month a 10-year service contract with Jordanian firm Nafeth Company for Logistic Services.

Nafeth is helping the General Company for Ports of Iraq with the project's technical studies and requirements so work can begin by the end of the year, he said.

We signed the contract "after putting out an announcement a few months earlier for the project's tender, to which several local and foreign companies submitted bids", Radhi said.

Nafeth was selected after all the competing offers were evaluated, he said.

The project will facilitate the entry and exit of trucks to the port areas, Radhi said, as well as monitor and secure their movement on main highways and at their loading and offloading sites by way of a Global Positioning System (GPS).

It will also bolster Iraq's trade activity, as it facilitates the transportation of goods and raw materials exported or imported by companies in the public and private sectors, in exchange for low fees levied on truck movement, he said.

A VITAL PROJECT
The project will be rolled out first at Um Qasr port and will later be expanded to other ports, according to Sabah al-Sarraf, director of the ports and maritime transport section at the Ministry of Transport.

Introducing the new system at the ports is a first step and it will eventually be applied at all Iraqi border outlets with neighbouring countries, he added.

Under the new project, officials will create a complete database of drivers and trucks operated by public and private land transport companies, he said.

The names and personal data of regular drivers will be recorded, and they will be given permission to drive their trucks into port areas, where they will be able to load or offload their cargo in an organised way, al-Sarraf said.

"This project will not be restricted to managing and organising truck movements inside port areas, but will also enable us, through the use of advanced devices and technological equipment provided by the company, to track trucks and their movement on highways electronically, to ensure their safety and their smooth travel," he said.

Through the project, the ministry seeks to improve its services by introducing modern technologies and systems into this field, help eliminate truck congestion problems at ports and border outlets, boost trade exchange, and increase co-operation between Iraq and other countries, al-Sarraf said.

Wihda al-Jumaily, a member of the parliamentary services committee, told Mawtani "the contract signed with Nafeth falls within the framework of the bilateral co-operation agreement concluded between Iraq and Jordan."

It will enable Iraq to benefit from the experiences of Jordanian companies to build up various economic sectors, including that of commercial transport, she said.

The project "is considered vital from an economic and service point of view because it will help develop and revitalise the investment and inter-trade [sectors]" through its flexibility in organising and accelerating shipping, offloading and the safe-transport of merchandise, she said.

This is great!

http://www.basra.gov.iq/en/index.php/news-events/2012-09-13-22-11-15/1643-basra-province-receives-the-first-iranian-river-tour-to-transport-visitors-across-the-river-line-from-abadan-town-until-the-cornish-of-shatt-al-arab-river

(In paragraph 4, Iraq Ports Authority clarifies BP will pay (not be paid) around $7 for each cubic metre of refined products exported or imported)

* BP to build terminal in Iraqi waterway

* Terminal for refined oil products imports, exports in future
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By Aref Mohammed

BASRA, Iraq, April 30 (Reuters) - British oil major BP has signed a deal with Iraq to build a new terminal at the southern port of Khor al-Zubair, a move showing the OPEC-member is seeking the help of international oil firms to upgrade its outdated infrastructure.

A spokesman at the General Company for Ports of Iraq, told Reuters the company had signed a five-year contract with BP this week to build a new terminal replacing an outdated one and that the company had officially taken over the site Tuesday.

BP declined to give financial details of the contract.

"BP will help Iraq build an advanced terminal to receive refined oil product shipments and also to export products in future," Anmar al-Safi said. "BP will pay around $7 for each cubic meter of imported and exported refined products through this terminal."

Iraq relies on imports to meet demand for oil products such as gasoline as its own refineries struggle, and more than 1.5 million tonnes of refined products are delivered over a year, which could generate billions of dollars for BP over the period of the terminal contract.

In 2009, BP and China's CNPC signed a service contract with Iraq to develop the Rumaila field, the workhorse of Iraq's oil industry which has estimated reserves of 17 billion barrels and currently produces around 1.35 million bpd - more than a third of Iraq's total output of around 3 million bpd.

The contract was one of a series awarded by Iraq to foreign firms that could one day more than quadruple its oil output capacity to 12 million barrels per day, rivalling oil giant Saudi Arabia.

"This is an important step forward for BP, we are working with the Ministry of Transport in Iraq to help meet the country's demand for refined oil products," said Paul Reed, CEO of BP's integrated supply and trading business.

A BP spokesman said the initial phase to build the new terminal at Khor al-Zubair would involve using an existing import facility and improving efficiency to bring in higher volumes of oil products.

"The facility will be constructed over a number of phases and we expect that imports will commence in 12 to 18 months' time," a spokesman for BP said.

Neglect and under-investment, combined with red tape, corruption and bureaucracy have left Iraq's southern ports near Basra ill-equipped to deal with the demands of oil majors trying to pour tonnes of equipment into Iraq and limit the capacity of terminals used to unload fuel imports purchased to meet growing domestic need.

Actually even Super Kurdistan doesn't reach Basra; comes very close but not quite;

http://www.jawadmella.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/contemporarykurdistanmap2005.jpg

......So you guys have nothing to worry about. Enough with the paranoia please. :|
I think it's 'greater'
We are inside the borders of "greater" "israel" :lol: