Nov 16th, 2009
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.
Dec 16th, 2008
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.