North America Western Asia Holdings (Nawah), a leading player in port management business, said it has completed the offloading of the third container vessel which runs weekly service between the UAE and the company’s hitech container terminal at Al Maqal Port in urban Basra, Iraq.

A business unit of the company, Nawah Port Management (NPM), said UAE shipping companies Sea Sands Shipping and Trans Act Shipping are offering the inaugural container transport services from the UAE to Al Maqal Port, leveraging its modernized berth.

Laden with 40-foot and 20-foot containers as well as general cargo, three UAE-based vessels – the Mariam, Sea Soul and Inchon – now operate regularly scheduled, feeder service from UAE’s Jebel Ali and Hamriyah ports to Al Maqal Port.

Efficiently servicing the surge of a full spectrum of equipment, material and consumer goods moving into southern Iraq, NPM’s modernized port operations support all containerized, break-bulk and project cargo, said a senior official.

“NPM’s Berth #14 operation is serving the growing demands of both local merchants and international firms seeking a conveniently close port with streamlined customs clearance,” said Nicholas Kunesh, the head of Nawah’s port management business line.

“This week’s arrival of container vessels is truly a significant one for the citizens of Basra as this city is restored to its rightful position as a key trading center on the Gulf,” remarked Kunesh.  

The historic Al Maqal Port (also known as the Port of Basra), located on the 120-mile-long Shatt Al Arab waterway, has served as an active port since 1919 for a wide array of general cargo – from construction material to dates – but these voyages mark the first-ever movement of containerized cargo up the main river running through southern Iraq, he added.

Equipped with brand new equipment such as the Liebherr 64-ton mobile harbor crane and reachstacker and customs facilities co-located within the berth’s management building, NPM’s terminal operations allow streamlined operations and customs clearance, maximizing customers’ experience through world-class capabilities, speed, efficiency and reliability.-TradeArabia News Service