Iraq’s Faw Grand Port can replace Suez Canal, local paper says 

A state-owned Iraqi newspaper on Sunday proposed Al-Faw Grand Port as an alternative to the Suez Canal.

Al-Sabah said Al-Faw, in the southern city of Basra, would allow ships that arrive to be unloaded and then have containers transported by road to sea routes in the west.

The movement of goods between Asia and Europe was disrupted for six days after the giant cargo ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal on 23 March.

The Iraqi newspaper said: “Al-Faw Grand Port is capable of receiving 100 million tonnes of cargo annually and could be used as an alternative to tankers … It is the best route between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.”

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The newspaper added that “the shipment will take one day from Al-Faw canal on to the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea or the ports of Syria and Lebanon on the Mediterranean, unlike taking more than two weeks in case a traffic jam or a disruption occurred in the Suez Canal.”

Last Sunday, the Iranian Ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, suggested activating the north-south corridor that passes through his country as a substitute for the Suez Canal. The trade corridor connects India to Russia through Iran.