Iraq has completed the construction of about 60 percent of an undersea tunnel linking the coastal region in the far south of the country to international trade links via Turkey (Reuters)
Iraq has completed the construction of about 60% of an undersea tunnel linking the coastal area in the city of Basra, the far south of the country, to international trade links through what is known as the development road with Turkey.
Reuters quoted the Director General of Iraqi Ports, Farhan Al-Fartusi, as saying, “The submerged tunnel is considered part of the road linking Al-Faw Port and the highway or international road that connects Iraq to Jordan and, God willing, in the future, to Turkey, and thus connects us to the other world.”
He added, "The most important outcome of the feasibility study for the Al-Faw port project is that there must be a dry canal, which is later called the development road as a result of adding some variables and making it an economic project."
Al-Fartusi added that this study comes “to make the Al-Faw port project a success as a transit project, that is, to transport goods from the east to the west via the Iraqi land bridge up towards Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus countries, and thus the submerged tunnel will be considered part of the economic channel feeding trade.”
The 2,444-metre submerged tunnel will extend all the way from Al-Faw Port to facilitate more efficient trade routes. Haidar Salem, Assistant Project Manager, explained the technical aspects of the tunnel, saying: “Each side has 3 lanes designated to accommodate the heavy movement of trucks loaded with containers and very high weights, and it will be submerged under the Khor Al-Zubair Canal, with a clear height of approximately 18 meters to allow the passage of commercial ships.”
Iraq believes that the tunnel is an important element in creating a shorter transport corridor between the Middle East and Europe, with the aim of enhancing commercial revenues from transporting goods. Al-Fartusi stressed the technical and economic importance of the project, saying: “This project is technical because the area is designed on spongy land, and it was implemented using a submerged tunnel method, which consists of pieces, one of which will be connected to the other to cross under the Khor Al-Zubair Canal.”
The project is not only an engineering achievement, but it is also a pioneering economic endeavor, as it constitutes an integrated economic project that includes a road and an economic belt on both sides, extending from within the port campus to the Iraqi-Turkish border. This ambitious initiative is expected to reshape regional trade dynamics, making the submerged tunnel the first of its kind in the Middle East.
The project is not only an engineering achievement, but it is also a pioneering economic endeavor, as it constitutes an integrated economic project that includes a road and an economic belt on both sides. (Reuters)
As construction progresses, Iraq expects the completed tunnel to contribute significantly to the country's economic growth and position itself as a major player in international trade routes.
Source: Reuters