Iraq’s Umm Qasr port hosts record-breaking container ship

BASRA — The Ministry of Transport announced on Sunday that a large vessel with a 17 meter draft – referring to the distance between the waterline and bottom the ship’s hull – successfully docked at the Umm Qasr Northern Port, marking a first for Iraq’s ports. The ship embarked from China, making a stop at the Dammam port before reaching its final destination in Umm Qasr.

In a joint statement, the Ministry of Transport and the General Company for Iraqi Ports highlighted the arrival of the ship as a significant milestone, showcasing the capability of Iraqi ports to accommodate and berth large vessels.

Engineer Farhan Al-Fartousi, Director-General of the Iraqi Ports Company, detailed: “Following the guidance of the Minister of Transport, Mr. Razzaq Muheibis Al-Saadi, the Umm Qasr Northern Port welcomed the MSC Beranger. This vessel, carrying approximately 2,659 containers, berthed at Berths 14 and 15. It is the most recent vessel, built in 2023, to enter Iraq’s ports for the first time.”

Al-Fartousi further explained that the MSC Beranger, which arrived early Sunday, holds the record for the largest container capacity of any ship entering Iraqi ports. The vessel boasts a capacity of 15,413 TEUs, (twenty foot equivalent units, a measurement of cargo capacity) measures about 366 meters in length, and 51 meters in width.