Iraq's Basra Multipurpose Terminal to select contractor in Feb for container expansion

Iraq's Basra Multipurpose Terminal (BMT) expects to select a contractor for the construction of its second terminal in February, with three contenders under review, BMT's operations manager for general cargo said Feb. 1.

The $200 million to $250 million expansion will add 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of container capacity after completion in 2022, Erkan Erkocu told S&P Global Platts on the sidelines of the Breakbulk Middle East conference in Dubai. "As long as there is oil, the economy will be there," Erkocu said, when asked about Iraq's growth prospects.

BMT is the largest multipurpose terminal at the Umm Qasr port located on southern Iraq's 58 km coastline. Umm Qasr was a military port established by Allied forces during World War II, with direct access to roads, national rail lines and oil and gas fields, according to a BMT brochure. The second terminal is being funded by the International Finance Corp., Erkocu said.

BMT's Terminal 1, which was built by Turkey's Enka for $100 million, handles 600,000 TEUs of containers, 400,000 mt of general cargo and 2 million mt of bulk cargo.