Project record

Grand Faw phase-one marine and port-access system

Container ship alongside a completed Grand Faw quay with the port breakwater visible offshore

Grand Faw Port / General Company for Ports of Iraq

Grand Faw's first operating system combines five handed-over container berths, a 23 km navigation channel reported complete to 19.8 m, terminal reclamation and ground improvement, twin breakwaters, an immersed road tunnel, and a 62 km connecting road that received its final GCPI Performance Certificate on 8 July 2026.

Project signal

Construction in Iraq

Current status Core marine assets built; terminal, tunnel, and commercial-operating interfaces remain under verification Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Iraq / Middle East

Segment

Port infrastructure

Status

Core marine assets built; terminal, tunnel, and commercial-operating interfaces remain under verification / Confirmed

Last checked

15 July 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Port infrastructure is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
General Company for Ports of Iraq / Iraq Ministry of Transport
Delivery parties
Daewoo E&C, Technital
Contract route
Multiple GCPI and Ministry of Transport design, construction, supervision, and operating-readiness packages. No current primary procurement notice has been found for the separately reported remaining-pier bid.
Execution window
Five berths and the navigation channel are reported physically complete, all immersed-tunnel elements are seated, and the connecting road has final certification. Terminal, tunnel, navigation-safety, marine-service, and commercial-operating acceptance remain the decisive sequence; no reliable full-operation date or additional-pier package is established in the primary record.
Works package
Five container berths and terminal platform, navigation-channel and port-basin dredging, reclamation and filling, east and west breakwaters, a container terminal, connecting road, and immersed road tunnel.
Marine interfaces
The quay wall, berth pocket and basin, 23 km navigation channel, breakwater shelter, dredged-material and reclamation programme, tug and pilotage capability, terminal equipment, and landside tunnel-road connection must reach compatible readiness before sustained vessel operations can scale.
Commercial evidence boundary
The existing phase-one works point to near-term demand around commissioning, marine services, navigation safety, surveys, terminal systems, maintenance dredging, and interface management. Treat any additional-pier opportunity as unconfirmed until GCPI, the Ministry of Transport, or an official procurement channel publishes the package.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

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The 62 km connecting road received GCPI's final Performance Certificate

Daewoo E&C reported final completion approval after 45 months of construction and a one-year defects period. The certificate closes the road package, not the immersed-tunnel, terminal, navigation, marine-service, or commercial-operation interfaces.

Source

The owner was still testing operating and partnership models

GCPI reviewed berthing, cargo handling, operating economics, and international partnerships. This confirms that physical assets had moved into operating preparation while final commercial responsibility and the operating model remained open.

Source

Trial shipping calls began while full commercial operation remained a target

The port authority said the navigation channel and main berths had been prepared and first vessels received on trial lines, while infrastructure and land-sea connections were still being developed. Trial calls are not evidence of sustained commercial throughput.

Source

All immersed-tunnel elements were seated beneath Khor Al-Zubair

GCPI marked completion of element placement and allowed a site walk-through, but its notice said service entry would follow in later project stages. Mechanical, electrical, safety, closure, testing, and operating acceptance therefore remain separate from structural placement.

Source

The owner reported the navigation channel complete and the terminal yard at 96.5%

GCPI reported the 23 km channel at 100%, 19.8 m final depth and 200 m width, the five berths at 100%, and the 2,000 m by 600 m container yard at 96.5%. These are package progress statements; they do not prove hydrographic acceptance, equipment handover, or commercial commissioning.

Source

Terminal-A filling reached 93% with ground improvement still active

The owner reported more than 11 million m3 of fill, PVD installation and surcharge work behind the five berths. The first area behind berths one and two had preliminary acceptance, showing that quay completion still depended on phased terminal formation and soil consolidation.

Source

Iraq received the five completed phase-one berths

The Prime Minister's office recorded handover of the five Daewoo-built berths and the first commercial vessel call. At the same event, the berths were described as the backbone of phase one rather than completion of the entire port system.

Source

The western breakwater was recognised as the world's longest breakwater

Daewoo E&C records a 15.952 km rubble-mound breakwater and Guinness recognition on 2 April 2020. The breakwater created the sheltered-water basis for the port but did not by itself establish navigable depth, berth or terminal readiness.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Navigation-channel and port-basin acceptance depths
  • Terminal operator and cargo-handling mobilisation
  • Tug, pilotage, and vessel-traffic readiness
  • Immersed-tunnel and connecting-road handover
  • Primary notice for any additional berth or pier package

Related records 2

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 15 July 2026 across 12 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 15 July 2026 Cited sources 12

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 12