Khor al-Zubair Port Reopens, Ops Resume

November 20, 2019

Iraq's Khor al-Zubair commodities port near Basra reopened on Wednesday and operations resumed normally, port officials said.

On Tuesday protesters blocked the entrance to the Gulf port and prevented trucks from entering, as part of the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations in the country in decades.

Officials said they have been holding talks with protesters and finally managed to convince them to leave the entrance, which allowed the port to resume normal operations.

Khor al-Zubair is Iraq's second main Gulf port. It is used to export cargoes of gas condensates and receives refined oil product shipments, construction and electrical commodities and food.

Iraq's major commodities port of Umm Qasr is still closed after hundreds protesters on Monday again blocked the entrance to the port near Basra, preventing employees and tankers from entering and bringing operations to a complete halt.

Talks with protesters have not managed so far to make them evacuate Umm Qasr's entrance, port officials said.

At least 315 people have been killed since the start of mass unrest in Baghdad and southern Iraq in early October, the largest demonstrations since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The protests are part of a movement that has brought tens of thousands of Iraqis to the streets to demonstrate against corruption and the poor state of public services.

Reporting by Aref Mohammed

Logistics News

New Concrete Wharf Built at Port of Los Angeles

New Concrete Wharf Built at Port of Los Angeles

Iran, Israel Trade Blame As Commercial Shipping Is Threatened By Conflict

Iran, Israel Trade Blame As Commercial Shipping Is Threatened By Conflict

Commercial Ships Advised to Keep Distance From Iran Around Strait of Hormuz

Commercial Ships Advised to Keep Distance From Iran Around Strait of Hormuz

X-Press Feeders Group, COSCO SHIPPING Lines Partner to Enhance Feeder Connectivity

X-Press Feeders Group, COSCO SHIPPING Lines Partner to Enhance Feeder Connectivity

Subscribe for Maritime Logistics Professional E‑News

Macquarie, a Macquarie company in Australia, has acquired stakes at UK airports
Mideast conflict turbocharges diesel prices, squeezing Europe: Bousso
US Safety Board wants to warn Boeing 737 MAX engine owners about smoke entering the cockpit