Umm Qasr Port isIraq's onlydeep water port, part of the city ofUmm Qasr.

Umm Qasr Port
Cranes at Umm Qasr await cargo
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Location
Country	Iraq
Location	Umm Qasr,Basra,Iraq
Coordinates	30°03′12″N47°56′15″E / 30.05335°N 47.93756°E /30.05335; 47.93756
UN/LOCODE	IQUQR[1]
Details
Opened	1967[2]
Owned by	Iraqi Government

Iraq's second biggest port in scale of size and goods shipped, ranking behind the port ofBasra, it is strategically important, located on the western edge of theal-Faw peninsula, where the mouth of theShatt al Arabwaterway enters thePersian Gulf. It is separated from the border ofKuwait by a small inlet. Prior to thePersian Gulf War, traffic between Kuwait and Iraq flowed over a bridge. The port is part of the MaritimeSilk Road.^[3][4]

Umm Qasr was originally a small fishing town,^[5] but was said to have been the site ofAlexander the Great's landing inMesopotamia in 325 BC. During theSecond World War a temporary port was established there by the Allies to unload supplies to dispatch to theSoviet Union. It fell back into obscurity after the war, but the government of KingFaisal II sought to establish a permanent port there in the 1950s.^[6]

In 1958 after thecoup d'etat of theIraqi Army known as the14 July Revolution, theIraqi Navy established a base there. The new regime of GeneralAbdul-Karim Qassem undertook mass planning of the economy of Iraq, based onoil export and factory based production, which required new shipping facilities. Founded in 1961, it was intended to serve as Iraq's only "deep water" port, reducing the country's dependence on the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway that marks the border withIran. The port facilities were built by a consortium of companies fromWest Germany,Sweden andLebanon, withIraqi Republic Railways services connecting it toBasra andBaghdad.^[7] The port opened for business in July 1967.^[8]

During theIran–Iraq War (1980–88), the ports importance increased as fighting restricted access to other ports further east along the Shatt al-Arab. The port of Basra, located on theShatt al-Arab waterway, became unusable as it was just miles from the Iranian border.^[5]

After the 1991First Gulf War, during which the port was bombed, control of the inlet leading to Umm Qasr was transferred toKuwait. Under control of Allied Forces for a period, in defence planning for Kuwait, the bridge was removed and a large trench and sand berm was constructed along the border of the two nations.^[5]

Once the port was returned to theIraqi Government ofSaddam Hussein, he shifted most of the commerce from the port of Basra to Umm Qasr, in a deliberate Iraqi government policy to punish Basra for its role in the rebellions against his rule.^[5]

TheBattle of Umm Qasr was the first military confrontation in theIraq War, with its objective the capture of the port.

On March 21, 2003, the battle was started with an amphibious assault by British3 Commando Brigade of theRoyal Marines, and spearheaded on land by the US15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, supported byPolishGROM troops. Iraqi forces put up unexpectedly strong resistance, requiring several days' fighting before the area was cleared of defenders.^[9] After the waterway was de-mined by a Detachment fromHM-14 and Naval Special Clearance Team ONE of the U.S. Navy and reopened, Umm Qasr played an important role in the shipment of humanitarian supplies to Iraqi civilians.^[10]

The port was declared safe and open on March 25, 2003, after Royal Marines took over control of the port and conducted raids into the old part of town. Coalition minesweepers, includingHMS Bangor (M109), aided byUS Navy divers,MH-53E Sea Dragonhelicopters towing magnetic minesweeping sleds, unmanned underwater vehicles, EOD divers, plus traineddolphins andseals; located and cleared the approach to the port ofunderwater mines. On 28 March a 200-yard-wide channel was declared safe, and theRoyal Fleet AuxiliaryRFASir Galahad docked to begin offloading hundreds of tons of food and water. Work continued for six weeks after that, widening the channel.

On 23 May 2003, control of the facility was transferred from theSpanish Army operating under the Royal Marines,^[11] toStevedoring Service of America (SSA). The company is responsible for both operations as well as restoration and renovation of the facility, which will be turned over to Iraqi civilian control when it is fully operational.^[12]

In January 2004 it was announced that work would start on a $10.3 million project to renovate the Umm Qasr Naval Base, funded through the Project Management Office (PMO) of theCoalition Provisional Authority. To enable theIraqi security forces the facilities they need for the defence of their country, the project includes building renovation; construction of electrical, water and sanitary sewage systems; security improvements; dock repair anddredging. The prime contractor was Weston Solutions, Inc. ofWest Chester, Pennsylvania, who completed the work in mid-May 2004.^[12]

• At Iraqi Port, Chaos and Corruption Reign - slideshow byThe New York Times