The State Company for Marine Transport, one of this Ministry’s companies, has finished negotiations for supplying it with two new multi – purpose vessels to vitalize its own marine fleet and to perform its genuine role as national transporter. This plan is being adopted within the directions of H.E. , Mr Amer Abdul – Jabbar Ismael , Minister of Transportation which aims at activating the said company’s role in possessing a number of vessels and practice its own duty as national transporter and energizing the Iraqi marine traffic . It is worth mentioning that the State Company for Marine Transport previously agreed with the Chinese (Ivec) Company for Shipbuilding on building a vessel with a (7850) ton load capacity which will be manufactured in China . Another negotiation is done with the South Korean Shipbuilding Company (Sank Donk). The two sides agreed on building a vessel with a load capacity of (17500) tons in South Korea. The Assistant Director General of the State Company for Marine Transport ,
Engineer Muhammed Sa’eed Al – Sikafi confirmed that his company have reached the finishing touches of contract signature for the said vessels with the Chinese and the South Korean side . As a result, the number of the said Company’s owned vessels will be (3) vessels. Mr. AL – Sikafi also mentioned that his company recently signed a number of Joint Venture Operation contracts and investment contracts to develop river tourism in the Tigris and Shatt Al – Arab Rivers in Basra City and seeking to further enhance this type of tourism by constructing anchorages for Tigris River in Adhamiya City – Baghdad as well as rehabilitating old anchorages to be invested in the field of river tourism