The Ministry of Transportation announced on Wednesday that it granted more than 700 maritime licenses to the private sector during 2025, confirming that the Maritime Authority has begun expanding its investment and development activities in preparation for the opening of the first phase of the Grand Faw Port by the end of this year.
Ministry spokesman, Maitham Al-Safi, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The Maritime Authority at the Ministry of Transportation has begun issuing more than 1,000 maritime licenses and mandatory certificates for ships. During this year, it granted 714 maritime licenses to the private sector and 130 licenses to the public sector, in addition to registering 150 maritime units and archiving 610 files.”
He added that “Law No. 18 of 2019, concerning the Iraqi Maritime Authority, authorizes the Authority to grant licenses to specialized maritime companies, including approving maritime service licenses.” He continued, saying, “There is also a fee schedule for the annual maritime license. The fee for a fishing vessel license is 150,000 Iraqi dinars, and for a fishing boat, it is 25,000 dinars.”
The spokesperson emphasized that “the Maritime Authority has initiated extensive steps to expand investment and development opportunities in the maritime transport sector, with the imminent opening of the Grand Faw Port.”
