December 14, 2024
On 14th December 2024, Mr. Abdullah Shaban who is Executive Manager/ Shipbuilding Engineer at Al Zaman Group and graduated from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom has given a speech in TEDx Baghdad at Dijlah Village, Baghdad.
The speech was about the Importance of having a shipyard in Iraq, Basra governate.
Mr. Abdullah clarified that all the countries that set on the Arabian gulf have shipyards except Iraq and that is because Iraq does not have the infrastructure that supports the shipbuilding industry. He started the speech by mentioning about Iraq’s history in boats building during the old civilizations.
During the Speech, Mr. Abdullah Shaban mentioned three important factors for having a shipyard in Iraq. First, the Transfer of Knowledge and Technology. The shipbuilding industry requires personnel that have expertise and licenses in order to be able to build a ship, in addition there are many equipment and machinery installed onboard ships which have come from international companies that developed the technology of such systems. Therefore, when we work on a shipbuilding project in Iraq, we will need this expertise in Iraq and hence there will be a transfer of knowledge and technology to Iraq through the shipbuilding industry.
The second factor is Providing job opportunity. The operation of a shipyard requires high number of technical and administration staff, engineers, and skill workers that operate the shipyard. Therefore, it will create job opportunity for the unemployed people in Iraq.
The Third factor is the huge maritime traffic in the region. The gulf region is a source of energy to the world because of oil.
In Iraq only, there are about 3,000 enters to the Iraqi ports in addition to Oil Tankers that enters the Iraqi Oil Terminals for oil export operation. These vessels require a hub (shipyard) that provides maintenance services to these vessels.
Moreover, since Iraq is an Oil Export country, then it is essential to protect the oil terminals and therefore by having a shipyard it will be easier to maintain our Navy fleet and hence protect the oil terminals with higher efficiency.
In order to be successful in this industry, it is mandatory to have strong education foundation for this industry. Shipbuilding is considered as heavy industry and it requires skilled worker and Naval Architect Engineers that design, build and supervise the shipbuilding projects in Iraq.
On the other hand, Mr Abdullah Shaban mentioned that there is a potential bonus for having a shipyards and the expertise in Iraq and that is the flag authority. Since Iraqi ships are not able to raise the Iraqi flag onboard Iraqi owned ships this is because Iraqi ports are not complying with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards. However, having a shipyard and starting the shipbuilding industry with the presence of IACS classification society will change the future of Iraqi flag onboard the ships. Building a modern Iraqi shipyard won’t just be an economic step; it will be a step to reclaim Iraq’s place on the global maritime map.
