YM Wealth, deployed by Taiwan-based shipping company, Yang Mind Marine Corporation (Yang Ming), was the largest vessel to be received at Iraqi ports to date, and was handled by Gulftainer, the largest privately owned independent port operator.
The event was commemorated by the presence of Omran Radhi Thani, director general of the National Ports Authority of Iraq, Osama Ali al-Maliki, director of the Umm Qasr Customs Authority, and Rafi’e Yosif Abbas, director general of the Iraqi State Company for Maritime Transport. Representatives of the Basra Governorate, shipping agencies in Iraq and other senior officials were also in attendance as the welcoming party received the vessel.
Yang Mings fleet consists of 98 vessels, with a combined capacity of 590,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Iraqs Umm Qasr port was a call on the YM Wealths revised route for the China Gulf Express (CGX) service. This shows a direct link between the Far East and Iraq, one that the nation could use to its advantage. On her maiden call to ICT the 5,551 TEU vessel discharged and loaded over 2,500 containers.
Speaking on the occasion, Flemming Dalgaard, Gulftainers CEO, said: The arrival of the YM Wealth marked a major milestone for Gulftainer as well as the Umm Qasr Port. This achievement reinforces Gulftainers commitment to providing Iraq with best-in-class container-handling facilities. Having witnessed the tremendous potential this market offers, we remain dedicated to enhancing our capabilities in Iraq to attract the worlds leading operators and take on larger-capacity vessels.