“The first phase of the Grand Faw Port will be completed by the end of this year,” ministry spokesperson Maytham al-Safi told Rudaw.
The Iraqi government has partnered with the South Korean Daewoo E&C to build the port, which is set to cost an estimated $4.83 billion.
Al-Faw is located south of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main seaport. The new port will be deeper than Qasr to allow large container ships to dock in its harbor.
“The area of the Grand Faw Port is 54 square kilometers – the largest port in the Middle East,” Safi said.
After the project’s completion, the port will be connected to the port of Mersin in Turkey by land, therefore greatly reducing the time needed to transport goods between the Gulf nations and Turkey.
It will serve as the southern terminal of the Development Road project, which is planned from southern Iraq to the Turkish border, connecting the Persian Gulf with Turkey. It aims to enhance Iraq’s geopolitical position, boost the economy, and create thousands of job opportunities. The route is expected to link Iraq with the European Union via Turkey.
The Faw port project has faced many obstacles since the foundation stone was laid in 2010 due to successive conflicts in the country.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
