Iraqi Navy to have state-of-the-art pier facility; construction begins in March (Baghdad)
Multi-National Force-Iraq
Thursday, 12 February 2009
GULF REGION DIVISION
News release # 090212-1
February 12, 2009
Iraqi Navy to have state-of-the-art pier facility; construction begins in March
By Nicole Dalrymple
Gulf Region Division
BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Navy has given the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division approval to initiate construction of the $53 million Umm Qasr pier and seawall project in al-Basra province.
This is the first Foreign Military Sales project between Iraq and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. FMS is a program where the host country pays the U.S. government for construction and supplies related to its military.
“FMS is a new process for us,” said Rear Admiral Jawad Kadhum, head of the Iraqi Navy. “We are satisfied with the project design, and ready for construction to begin. A trust has been built between the Iraqi Navy, Ministry of Defense and GRD. This is a very important project for us and will help build a strong Navy for Iraq.”
Maj. Gen. Michael R. Eyre, commanding general of the Gulf Region Division, said, “This is an excellent example of the Iraqis taking the lead and the dramatic transition taking place in Iraq right now. In this case, the government of Iraq is providing project funding, and we are supporting them with contract and construction management.”
Since October 2008 staff from GRD and the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq (MNSTC-I) have been working alongside Iraq’s Ministry of Defense and Navy to establish expectations for the project, conceptual designs and timelines.
“I have enjoyed doing this specialized work for the Iraqi Navy,” said Brig. Gen. Alaa Jafar, director of works for Iraq’s Ministry of Defense – Infrastructure. “The contractor has incorporated our ideas into the project, which will provide greater capabilities to the Iraqi Navy and provide for our future security. I look forward to seeing our vision become a reality on the ground.”
Eyre, Kadhum, Jafar and Brig. Gen. Charles D. Luckey, MNSTC-I deputy commander, signed a certificate of agreement Feb. 12 at the Gulf Region Division’s headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq. The signatories pledged their “full commitment” to the project and agreed “to work together until the facility is fully operational.”
The pier and seawall project will provide a state-of-the-art berthing facility for the Iraqi Navy and will support patrol vessels charged with securing the vital port infrastructure and seaways in Iraq’s territorial waters.
“This project is of strategic importance in protecting Iraq’s oil platforms, and it is also important to MoD and all of Iraq,” Kadhum added. “It will also help the people of Basra, specifically Umm Qasr, as construction will bring jobs and business to the local area. This project shows that the Coalition Forces did not just come to liberate Iraq but came to help build Iraq.”
The project design is 99 percent complete, according to Bill Gunderson, vice president of PND Engineers, Inc., the contractor responsible for design work. The remaining one percent provides flexibility and adaptability in the design to make on-the-ground adjustments based on site conditions, Gunderson explained.
CCI Inc., the prime contractor, and Poly Earth Construction International, the subcontractor, are responsible for the construction portion of the project. Construction will begin in March and is expected to be complete in September.
The Gulf Region Division will be providing construction management out of the Gulf Region South District, which oversees construction in Iraq’s nine southern provinces.
“This project has strategic implications for the government of Iraq,” said Col. Jack Drolet, commander Gulf Region South district. “This state-of-the-art facility is incorporating the latest marine technology and will serve the Iraqi Navy for years to come. It will also support the fleet that will be charged with protecting Iraq’s oil infrastructure, which is critical to the nation’s economic growth and development.”
-30-
For high resolution photos: www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/index.asp
Note: Nicole Dalrymple is a public affairs specialist with the Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iraq. For more information, contact GRD Public Affairs at 540.665.5339 or email requests to cegrd.pao@usace.army.mil. For more information on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, visit www.grd.usace.army.mil.
The Gulf Region Division, headquartered in Baghdad, is a joint effort comprised Civilians, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Contractors. GRD provides quality and sustainable engineering in support of civil/military construction in Iraq. GRD and its Iraqi partners are building a strong foundation for Iraq's future.
BUILDING STRONGSM is the official slogan of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
