Gulftainer has announced the launch of its first dedicated feeder service connecting the UAE and Umm Qasr, Iraq, operated through its shipping arm GT Lines.
The move comes 17 years after the company established Iraq’s first modern container terminal at Umm Qasr in 2009, and represents the next phase of Gulftainer’s development as an integrated trade and logistics enabler in the country.
The new service links Umm Qasr to UAE gateways and onward to regional and global logistics hubs, combining GT Lines’ own vessels with Iraq Commercial Terminal and the Umm Qasr Logistics Centre to create a fully integrated maritime and logistics ecosystem.
The UQLC, located adjacent to Iraq Commercial Terminal, provides warehousing, container storage, cargo consolidation, customs facilitation and value-added services, enabling streamlined cargo flows and strengthened supply chain resilience for Iraqi traders accessing markets across East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Africa and beyond.
Gulftainer currently operates 10 vessels connecting the Gulf, Iraq, India, Pakistan, China and Southeast Asia.
The company described the UAE to Umm Qasr corridor as a strategic trade gateway rather than simply a new shipping route, designed to provide Iraqi businesses with the certainty and reliability needed to trade with confidence as Iraq’s economy diversifies and non-oil trade volumes continue to grow.
Farid Belbouab, Group CEO of Gulftainer, framed the service as a long-term commitment to Iraq’s potential as a key gateway connecting the Gulf, the Levant and Asia, building on the company’s foundational role in modernising the country’s port infrastructure nearly two decades ago.
