Swift patrol boat 304 enters the port here Aug. 7. The Iraqi navy accepted control of Swift boats 304 and 306 Aug. 13.

The Iraqi navy accepted Swift-class Patrol boats 304 and 306 from the U.S. Navy during a handover ceremony Aug. 13 at Umm Qasr, Iraq.

Saturday’s ceremony was the culmination of months of effort for both the U.S. and Iraqi Navies.

“I’m extremely happy for the Iraqi navy,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Kelvin Dixon, director of Iraq Training and Advising Mission-Navy and Marines from Rockaway, N.J. “The delivery of the U.S. built Swift Patrol Boats 304 and 306 increases the Iraqi navy’s capability to effectively patrol and defend their territorial waters and critical oil infrastructure.”

“The Iraqis have really done an outstanding job with the limited assets they had,” said Cmdr. Quintin “QB” Bell, commanding officer of the ITAM-N/M at Umm Qasr from Augusta, Ga. “The addition of these two very-capable patrol boats will greatly enhance their ability to carry out their assigned missions.”

Iraqi navy commander, Rear Adm. Ali, said that the delivery was an important day for the Iraqi navy, and he thanked everyone for making the day happen, according to Bell.

Construction began on 304 and 306 in mid-2010 in Morgan City, La. Upon completion, the 35-meter patrol boats began their journey to Iraq in June with a month-long voyage from Houston to Bahrain on the roll-on/roll-off ship MV Cape Trinity. The U.S. Navy offloaded the vessels in Bahrain and sailed them to Umm Qasr under the U.S. flag.

Swift Patrol Boats 304 and 306 arrived in Umm Qasr Aug. 7 and underwent final checks and sea trials facilitated by Naval Sea Systems Command and ITAM-N/M engineers. U.S. engineers and advisors validated the boats were seaworthy and the crews were qualified prior to the handover.

After U.S. and Iraqi navy leadership signed required documents, U.S. and Iraqi sailors lowered the U.S. flag and raised the Iraqi flag on the vessels to complete the handover.

The patrol boats provide capability for a variety of missions including maritime surveillance and reconnaissance as well as vessel boarding and search and seizure. The new vessels raise the Iraqi navy’s patrol boat force to five of 12 ordered. The remaining Swift boats are expected to arrive in Iraq before 2013.

The Iraqi navy is responsible for protecting off-shore oil infrastructure, territorial waters, Umm Qasr, and checkpoints in the surrounding area. Currently, the Iraqi fleet boasts 65 vessels, and more than 3,700 sailors and Marines, conducting more than 50 weekly patrols.

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Story by Maj. Brandon Lingle

Iraqi navy sailors secure a Kuwaiti coast guard vessel during a joint exercise in the Persian Gulf, July 25. Photo by Pvt. Andrew Slovensky

On a warm morning over calm waters, the horizon is lined with small fishing boats. A Kuwaiti coast guard cutter discovers an Iraqi fisherman operating illegally in Kuwait’s territorial waters and the crew detains him. The Iraqi navy arrives to take custody of the apprehended fisherman and return him to friendlier seas.

That was the scenario played out by a joint training exercise of the Iraqi navy and Kuwaiti coast guard in the Persian Gulf, July 25.

This and other exercises conducted since 2008 are the legacy of the Khawr Abd Allah Protocol, an agreement signed between Kuwait and Iraq to ensure the security of territorial waters in the Gulf.

U.S. Navy sailors with Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission-Navy in Umm Qasr have been hard at work training their Iraqi navy counterparts to be seaworthy.

Until recently, the Iraqi training had been planned and coordinated by ITAM-N. This exercise was the first entirely orchestrated by Iraqi and Kuwaiti forces, while the U.S. Navy were merely observers, said Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Hoff, U.S. liaison to the Kuwaiti coast guard, who watched with ITAM-N operations officers from aboard the deck of an Iraqi patrol boat.

“We’re here for moral support or in case they have any questions,” said Hoff.

Hoff said exercises like this are the fruit of an effort by ITAM-N to prepare Iraqi sailors and promote cooperation across the sea and land with Kuwait. The exercise outlines a common problem with illegal fishing that faces Iraq and Kuwait, he added.

The exercise started with an officer exchange and planning meeting aboard the Iraqi patrol boat, called a swift boat. Defenders, small watercraft that accompany patrols, acted the part of the illegally fishing vessels to be apprehended by the Kuwaiti coast guard.

After the first arrest and subsequent surrender of the “fisherman” to the Iraqi navy, the two forces reversed roles. The Defenders surrounded a Kuwaiti vessel acting out the illicit fishing operation and delivered the culprits to the awaiting custody of the Kuwaiti coast guard.

Each year, the Iraqi and Kuwaiti forces plan to do more cooperative practice runs, including border meetings of officials from both nations, said Hoff.

“It’s the culmination of years of effort to encourage the Iraqi navy and Kuwaiti coast guard to improve their operability,” said Hoff. “It’s a victory.”

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Story by Pvt. Andrew Slovensky

The Turkish Dogan Bey power ship sits moored in the southern port of Umm Qasr. The ship provides enough power to run a small Iraqi city. Currently, it feeds into the main Iraqi power grid. Photo by Sgt. Francis Horton

The government of Iraq has been concentrating on providing basic necessities to its people while striving to maintain order and security.

Electricity has been an issue Iraqis are concerned about. In the southern city of Basra and throughout Iraq demonstrations have been held demanding more reliable power.

In response, steps are in place to help ease the power problems.

In the southern port of Umm Qasr, the hub of imports and exports for the country, a large ship sits moored to the docks. It is adorned with Turkish and Iraqi flags painted on the side, and large transformers cover the majority of the deck.

“It’s like an on-land power facility,” said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Frank Bullock, a logistic coordinator with the Joint Interagency Task Force. Reciprocating generators on the deck of the ship use a refined fuel provided by the Iraqi Department of Energy. The electricity is run to the Iraqi power grid. This ship alone has the ability to power Umm Qasr with some left over, he said.

“So far, we have had no security incidents,” said the plant manager and ship captain, Mutlu Cevlik, a Turkish sailor from Istanbul. A five-year contract has been signed with the Iraqi Department of Energy for the ship to provide power, he said. A second ship has also been dispatched from Turkey.

Security cameras and local guards have been hired to help secure the ship, Cevlik said. Around 70 people from Umm Qasr keep the ship safe 24 hours a day. Onboard, Turkish workers keep the generators maintained and running.

Turkish workers run fuel hoses across the deck of the Dogan Bey power ship to keep the generators filled and pumping to capacity. Photo by Sgt. Francis Horton

“Sandstorms are the biggest problem,” Cevlik said. The generators operate as close to full capacity as possible, but during periods of high wind, sand and dirt get caught in the filters causing overheating and automatic shutdowns.

Cevlick is confident issues like these will be easy to get around. The next step is to hire a security officer to help bring the ship up to international safety standards.

“We want to make this environment better,” Cevlick said.

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Story by Sgt. Francis Horton

Iraq navy patrol ship Nasir arrives in homeport, Umm Qasr. Photo by Lt. Ryan Schumacher

The Iraqi navy welcomed the Patrol Ship Nasir to its new homeport here in a ceremony Nov. 12. The Nasir is the second of four ships contracted from the Fincantieri Shipyard in La Spezia, Italy. The Iraqi manned ship departed Italy Oct. 15, completing the more than 5,000 mile journey in about a month.

The ceremony included a naval review of the Nasir and several other Iraqi ships and boats, as well as a demonstration of boarding tactics and a synchronized diver demonstration. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. James M. McDonald, deputy commanding general, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq, spoke briefly at the event to highlight the importance of the Nasir in protecting Iraq’s coasts.

“Iraq is in charge of its security,” McDonald said. MNSTC-I’s Iraq Advisory and Training Team-Navy continues to help train and advise the Iraqi naval force. MNSTC-I’s goal is to assist Iraq in developing a capable-and-responsive force able for conducting maritime security operations in the region.

With more than 75 percent of Iraq’s gross domestic product coming from revenues generated by its offshore oil platforms, Iraq has a keen interest in protecting and controlling its territorial waters.

The ceremony ended with a tour of the Nasir for assembled guests and a brief cruise in the Shatt al-Arab waterway.

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Story by Lt. Ryan Schumacher

Iraq is now open for international business, thanks to the valiant efforts of a Turkish wreck salvage expert and his Iraqi team of divers who have cleared the port of Umm Qasr of over 33 wrecks.

Mr Kahraman Sadikoglu, who runs an international shipping business and wreck salvage operation, has been in Iraq ever since 2003, clearing the Iraqi port of the many wrecks that litter the jetties. No stranger to Iraq, Mr Sadikoglu was kidnapped and held to ransom by insurgents in 2005 but survived the ordeal and came back to Umm Qasr to help the people of Iraq. The port had been closed for sometime due to the proximity of the wrecks to the loading/unloading jetties that allow the ships to dock and disgorge their precious cargoes.

Thanks to his efforts and those of the coalition forces who have secured the port, 24 jetties are now open for use. The 34th lift that took place at Jetty 9 was that of an Iraqi mine laying boat that was bombed by an RAF Tornado in the early part of Operation Telic 1. A further 10 ships a month would be able to use Jetty 9 now that the wreck had been removed, adding considerable shipping capacity to the port.

Mr Sadikoglu said, “The port is moving and there is life there. From 2003 to 2006 there was very little security but when we came back in early 2008 it hadn’t changed. When the army troops moved here in August of 2008, suddenly it was like the light being turned on and off, the system here is completely changed, the port is 100% secure! There has been a big change in the last 3-4 months. Four months ago they did something here and now it’s secure”

The mine layer’s location made dredging the port very difficult; over 2 million cubic metres of silt requires removal from the port annually. It was also lying on the knuckle of the turn into the port making larger vessel’s navigation of the channel cumbersome.

The port is now thriving with over 300 shipping containers (30,000 tonnes of goods) being offloaded daily, that flow into Iraq and the wider Middle East. The port also supports over 48,000 people in the local area who depend on its commerce for their living. Over 70% of Iraq’s bulk food (rice, sugar, wheat etc) is imported through Umm Qasr, making it strategically vital for the Iraqi people.

Currently, B Squadron of the Queen’s Royal Hussars and 2 companies of the Iraqi commandos are based at Umm Qasr, providing security for the port. The Navy Transition Team consisting of Royal Navy and U.S. Navy personnel are also based in South Port helping to train the Iraqi navy.

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