POMT launches first-ever direct service between UAE and Iraq

“The service caters for what the industry calls ‘unaccompanied trailers’—trailers which can be transported by sea without the driver and truck cab travelling alongside them. Instead, the trailer is left at the quay side at the port by the driver and is then pulled on and off the ship alone,” DP World said.

The service, the first of its kind, takes around 36 hours to travel between Jebel Ali Port in the UAE and Umm Qasr Port in Iraq, offering a new route between the two countries for road trailers, and alleviating challenges faced by customers using alternative 14-day cross-border land transport routes.

“The launch of this new route is a step change in our service offering in the UAE. It is a great example of our customer-focused approach at DP World, using innovative and tailored solutions to enable the flow of goods. Iraq's economy is growing rapidly, but until now it relied on transit through its neighbours for its import and export needs. Our new direct service [addresses] this, opening a new more efficient trade route for the country,” said Jesper Kristensen, Group Chief Operating Officer, DP World Marine Services.

Until now, goods transported by road from the UAE to Iraq had to be transloaded, a time-consuming exercise involving transfer of cargo from the original truck to a locally-licensed vehicle, DP World said.

“DP World’s unaccompanied trailer service allows cargo owners and logistics companies to load a UAE-plated trailer in their local warehouse, ship it securely to Iraq and get the same trailer back, without the cargo having to change hands along the route,” it said.

ADSO Group, a UAE-based logistics firm was the first DP World customer to use the new service.

“As one of the first POMT customers to use the service, we are extremely pleased with such a transport solution for our freight industry. The new service is ground-breaking and delivers great logistical efficiencies across our operations,” Riaz Karmali, General Manager at ADSO, said.

“We benefit from cost-savings by reducing our time spent on the road and crossing borders. The service also provides a more sustainable solution to us, and by extension to our customers. The reliability and expertise of DP World mean we have full trust that our shipments are handled with the utmost care.”

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