Iraq has resumed commercial shipping in the Gulf region after a gap of over 50 years, with Basrah, its cargo ship, departing from Jebel Ali Port in the UAE on October 21.
The vessel is part of a planned route linking Jebel Ali with Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main container port.
The return of the national shipping line of Iraq has come at a time when the Strait of Hormuz crisis has affected the flow of cargo in the region.
Shipping companies have been using alternative ports and land routes to move goods into Iraq, but vessels on the new service must still pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iraq’s Ministry of Transport announced the plan earlier in October. The service aims to increase cargo traffic through Iraqi ports, support regional trade and restore the role of the national carrier in commercial shipping.
The ministry said Iraqi cargo vessels had stopped operating regularly in
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