VZCZCXRO7321
RR RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0347/01 0411315
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101315Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1638
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000347 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/I AND EEB/TRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD EWWT PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: AL MAQAL PORT BASRA KEEN FOR MORE BUSINESS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (SBU) Al Maqal port, one of five ports in Basra, is keen 
to become an important shipping center again, but requires a 
permanent bridge to replace the pontoon bridges blocking most 
ships.  Al Maqal port was neglected by Saddam Hussein after 
Shia uprisings in favor of Umm Qasr port.  Silt has 
accumulated after years of neglect, so further dredging is 
required, both around the port and in the Shatt Al Arab 
waterway.  Captain Salah, Director General of the Port 
Authority, was confident that Al Maqal could attract 
significant additional commerce to Basra once these obstacles 
are overcome.  End summary. 
 
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New Bridge Needed 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a visit to the Port of Al Maqal (Al Basra) on 
February 3, we met with the impressive technocrat Captain 
Salah Abood, Director General of the General Company for 
Ports in Iraq.  Captain Salah was keen to increase the 
capacity of the port, and said the most urgent need was to 
replace the floating pontoon bridges which are blocking most 
ship traffic from coming to the port directly, although the 
port has 12 warehouses and plenty of pier space.  The pontoon 
bridge can be opened to allow ships to pass through, but it 
is a slow process and infrequently done.  The U.S. and the 
U.K. are using I-CERP funds to replace the pontoons with a 
permanent bridge with a center section that will raise to 
allow ships to pass.  A groundbreaking ceremony for the USD 
11.5 million Shatt Al Arab bridge took place on February 7 
was attended by the Governor, the Chairman of the Provincial 
Council, the Commander of MND-SE, the Director of the 
Regional Embassy Office in Basra, and the media.  The 
estimated completion timeline is 12-18 months at a cost of 
USD 11.5 million.  Captain Abood said that a new bridge will 
be a huge positive difference for the daily life of the port 
and for Basrawis.  Viewing the area below the pontoon bridges 
(four kilometers south of Al Maqal), we could see dozens of 
vessels berthed tightly together to offload goods, which then 
had to be transported by other methods. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Port Older than Iraqi Army, Established in 1919 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Al Maqal port is one of five ports in Basra.  The 
others are the large Umm Qasr, and the smaller ports Khor Az 
Zubayr, Al Faw, and Abu Fulus.  Captain Salah noted that 
since 2005, about 5,000 ) 6,000 ships use Basra's port 
facilities each year.  Al Maqal port, also referred to as Al 
Basra, is on the southwest side of the Shatt al Arab 
waterway, in Al Basra reach, southern Iraq.  Captain Salah 
said the port was established in 1919 and is thus older than 
the Iraqi state or the Iraqi army.  His office is located in 
a building still in good condition, constructed by the 
British for the port.  The Shatt Al Basra canal was built in 
the 1970s from Basra to Umm Qasr and became the only waterway 
usable during the Iran-Iraq war.  Al Maqal port was heavily 
damaged during the Iran-Iraq War, and operations have been 
further affected by subsequent conflicts, poor maintenance, 
and the natural accumulation of silt.  Major revitalization 
of Al Maqal was rejected by Saddam Hussein in favor of the 
newer Port of Umm Qasr, and as a consequence of the Shi,a 
uprisings in Basra after the 1991 war.  Thus along with 
damage, Al Maqal has suffered deliberate government neglect 
for years. 
Qfor years. 
 
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Dredging Needed 
--------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Al Maqal is designed to accommodate 12 large vessels 
simultaneously.  It has a grain berth, crane support, grain 
silos and warehousing for up to 160,000 tons of goods, as 
well as cold storage for 1,800 tons.  Operations at the port 
have been limited to dhow traffic and some transits of larger 
vessels.  Several wrecks blocking the Shatt al Arab have been 
removed but it has not been dredged for years and the silting 
is severe:  29 million cubic feet requires removal.  After 
the war, there was only one dredge working, but now there are 
eight operational.  There are two types of dredgers, one for 
the canal and one for the jetty.  Al Maqal needs more jetty 
 
BAGHDAD 00000347  002 OF 002 
 
 
dredges.  Repairs are also underway to the regulators that 
control tidal effects and brackish water in the waterway. 
Captain Salah told us that there is an Iran-Iraq committee to 
review issues related to various waterway issues, including 
dredging.  He also noted that the Europeans have assisted the 
port, with Denmark funding some renovation and Croatia 
donating a fireboat.  Clearly there was a budding interest 
for private sector investment in the port. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Frustration with Central Government 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Captain Salah displayed thinly veiled frustration 
with the central government noting the Ministry of 
Transportation had provided zero technical expertise.  He 
also said that as of the end of August 2008, only 20 percent 
of the funds the port authority needed from the Ministry had 
been distributed.  He added that the port authority was well 
staffed with the right expertise.  &We have piers, 
warehouses, places for different kinds of storage.  Once the 
bridge is replaced, I,m confident that there will be a 
significant increase in merchant traffic,8 Salah stated. 
(Comment:  While Al Maqal could attract more business with 
infrastructure improvements, throughput compared with Umm 
Qasr will always be limited for a variety of structural and 
operational reasons.  Upgrades to Umm Qasr will provide a 
greater return on investment.  End comment.) 
 
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ISPS 
---- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Captain Salah said that two other issues are 
hindering port development:  lack of compliance with the 
International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code to 
the International Maritime Organization (IMO); and the high 
cost of shipping insurance, as many insurers still classify 
Iraq as a war zone.  A U.S. Coast Guard Port Security 
Assessment team visited Umm Qasr Port in May-June 2008 at the 
request of the Transportation Attache and will return in 
March 2009.  The team will focus on achieving ISPS compliance 
for the Port of Umm Qasr and develop guidelines that can be 
used by the Government of Iraq to establish ISPS 
certification for all Iraqi ports.  ISPS compliance is key to 
reducing insurance rates and drawing new investment and 
business to a port. 
 
CROCKER