Dubai-based companies Transworld Group and Nawah Port Management have entered into a formal agreement to service Iraq’s growing demand for imports, linking their shipping, logistics, marine services and port capabilities.

As part of the deal, Nawah’s port operations business unit, will team up to increase the flow of essential goods coming from the broader Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Far East and Southeast Asia into the Port of Basra with linkage to commercial centres throughout Iraq.

Ritesh S Ramakrishnan, Transworld’s director of strategy and business planning, said: “Iraq stands at such an important moment of time – historically and commercially – and we are keen to play a part in this phase of growth.

“The sheer scale and magnitude of development occurring today in Iraq, along with a growing middle class, requires logistical flows of epic proportions. Aligning with Nawah provides Transworld Group with first-class logistics solutions and unrivaled port operations in Basra and one of the most reliable door-to-door capabilities in Iraq.”

Transworld Group, established in 1976, brings nearly 40 years of expertise in integrated shipping, logistics, multi-modal transport and marine services. The group owns and operates a fleet of 30 vessels and has offices at all major ports in the UAE as well as other Arabian Gulf countries. The company also has significant presence in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the US.

Nawah Port Management operates the first modernised, containerised terminal in the Port of Basra (also known as Al Maqal Port), located in downtown Basra along the banks of the Shatt Al Arab waterway.

Along with sister company Nawah Supply and Distribution, NPM offers customers a full spectrum of door-to-door, supply-chain capabilities for cargo being transshipped into UAE’s Jebel Ali Port and bound for Iraq’s oil and gas fields and commercial markets.

Nicholas Kunesh, Nawah’s president and CEO, said: “Together with Transworld’s four decades of shipping experience and Nawah’s in-depth knowledge and operational capabilities within Iraq, we are confident that we will redefine logistics in the Middle East.

“Through our combined expertise, market reach, state-of-the-art technology and customer-focused shipping and logistics services, we will enable Basra to continue its accelerated march to becoming a key strategic trading centre in the Middle East, bridging East and West.”

The firms have already initiated joint cargo movement from Jebel Ali Port to NPM’s Port of Basra terminal with containers from Transworld’s Balaji Shipping Lines transiting via NPM’s feeder vessel service into southern Iraq. - TradeArabia News Service