International Container Terminal Services Inc. said Thursday it expanded the capacity of its container and multi-purpose cargo handling facility in Iraq, completing the $250-million investment at Basra Gateway Terminal.
ICTSI said it inaugurated two new facilities”•Berths 25 and 26 of BGT”•at the Port of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main dry cargo port. The port can now handle container vessels up to 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.
“ICTSI’s completion of our multi-phase $250-million investment program highlights our commitment to Iraq and our readiness to meet the challenge of providing much-needed, brand-new port infrastructure and handling technology,” ICTSI chairman and president Enrique Razon said.
“We are pleased to lead the way for Umm Qasr to serve higher capacity container vessels, up to and including the so-called ‘New Panamax’ class [14,000TEU] and as a result to open the door for cargo importers and exporters to benefit from substantial scale economies,” he said.
Located in Umm Qasr’s North Port, BGT operates a high-capacity container terminal together with specialized facilities for the handling of general cargo, Ro-Ro, dry bulk and project cargo for the oil and gas sector.
Earlier developments included the construction of Berth 27, adjacent to the new berths, with the three berths now offering a combined continuous berth length of 600 meters. The design depth alongside Berths 25 and 26 is 14 meters.
The two new berths are extensively fitted out with state-of-the-art container handling equipment and IT systems. Three new quayside gantry cranes, each with an outreach of 56 meters and able to handle up to 21 rows of containers on the deck of a vessel, are installed on the quayside.
It said that on the landside, seven new, six high stacking, rubber-tired gantries join three existing units, bringing the total fleet to 10 RTGs.
BGT already receives direct calls from a number of shipping lines but traditionally these vessels have not been fully utilized due to draft limitations. The latest berth development removes this limitation and encourages other shipping lines to introduce larger vessels with the resulting cost and efficiency benefits passing directly to cargo owners.
BGT has also undertaken, as part of its investment program, a range of works that provided value-added services in addition to the core container handling and storage processes.
Dedicated areas for reefer handling, export container stuffing and secure truck parking were developed and a 10-hectare yard expansion is underway to serve future growth.
Outside of the container sector, BGT has also implemented significant investments into the terminal complex’s Ro-Ro facilities, including dedicated warehousing and secure areas.
BGT said specialized handling services and facilities were established to accommodate the efficient handling of project cargo for the oil and gas sector including secure open storage and warehousing.