ICTSI’s Iraq port delivers record berth productivity

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Yang Ming Mutuality at Basra Gateway Terminal | Photo from ICTSI
  • Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT) achieved a record berth productivity of 101 moves per hour for a total of 1,768 moves in 17.5 hours when it serviced a 6,589-TEU container vessel
  • BGT recently completed its US$250 million investment program, which included several berth enhancements at BGT East
Yang Ming Mutuality at Basra Gateway Terminal | Photo from ICTSI

Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), Iraq’s largest port and primary gateway, recently achieved a record berth productivity of 101 moves per hour, a first for the terminal located in Umm Qasr, Iraq.

BGT recorded a total of 1,768 moves in 17.5 hours on the 6,589-twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) Yang Ming Mutuality vessel, said International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) in a statement.

This comes as BGT, a subsidiary of ICTSI, recently completed a US$250-million investment program that saw the expansion of its service delivery in all sectors of operations—container, multi-purpose, roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro), and heavy lift, ICTSI said.

The program saw multiple new berth developments at BGT East, which offers a design depth of 14 meters alongside. BGT East is served by five modern ship-to-shore cranes to enable the handling of vessels of up to 14,000 TEUs in capacity.

The 600-meter berth at BGT East is supported on the landside by a fleet of 10 six-high-stacking rubber-tired gantries.

ICTSI said that outside of the container sector, notable investments included the comprehensive upgrade of the terminal’s ro-ro facilities including dedicated warehousing and secure areas, as well as specialized facilities to service the handling of project cargo for the oil and gas sector.

“The record servicing of the YM Mutuality represents a significant waypoint along the path of our continuous improvement program,” BGT chief executive officer Phillip Marsham said.

“Progressively, this will unlock further major benefits for our customers, shipping lines and cargo owners, as well as play a leading role in consolidating and expanding the port of Umm Qasr’s position as Iraq’s premier maritime hub.”

In 2014, ICTSI signed a contract with the General Company for Ports in Iraq to manage, operate and rehabilitate terminal facilities in North Port, Umm Qasr, and to develop and expand container handling capacity via new infrastructure development.

BGT is the only terminal in the country able to service container vessels of up to 14,000-TEU capacity.