ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq’s prime minister laid the foundation stone for the long-awaited al-Faw port in Basra on Sunday, calling it an economic bridge connecting the countries of the region.
“The grand Faw project is not only for Basra. It is a strategic project that contributes to the development and reconstruction of all governorates of Iraq, and makes the country an economic bridge linking the various countries of the region,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said during a ceremony at the site of the port on Sunday.
The project will enhance Iraq’s “geopolitical position in the region and the world, and will create many job opportunities for the people of Basra and the rest of the provinces,” he added.
Al-Faw is located south of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main seaport, and will be deeper to allow larger container ships. In December, Iraq’s transportation minister announced they had signed a deal with South Korean Daewoo E&C to build the port.
The deal is worth $2.625 billion for the first phase of the port, Reuters reported in December. Farhan al-Fartousi, Iraq’s director general at the General Company for Ports, said construction is expected to take less than four years and they are willing to sign contracts with other companies for the second and third phases.
Daewoo had completed a field survey of the site to clear war remnants and explosives in preparation to begin work, Iraqi state media reported on Saturday.
The port has been a dream of Iraq for decades, but has been repeatedly delayed because of successive conflicts.
