Engineering sustainable growth at Al Faw Grand Port

Al Faw Grand Port is set to transform Iraq’s global trade capacity. For over a decade, HR Wallingford has played a central role in shaping a port that can safely accommodate the world’s largest container vessels, withstand challenging estuarine conditions, and operate efficiently for decades to come. Our work has helped de risk construction, safeguard the environment and give decision makers confidence at every stage of this nationally significant development.

Location

Faw Peninsula, Iraq

A safer, more resilient port layout

Iraq’s ambition to create a major deep‑water port on the Faw Peninsula comes with considerable physical and environmental complexity. The site sits in one of the Gulf’s most sediment‑rich and morphologically dynamic estuaries, where dredging, navigation and long‑term asset performance are tightly interconnected.

Delivering more than 15 km of breakwaters and a new container terminal required clarity on present day and future wave conditions, sediment movement, and the potential behaviour of over 75 million m³ of dredged material. Ensuring that the port would remain safe, accessible and commercially competitive long into the future was essential.

Our early design insights informed breakwater geometry and armour sizing, ensuring structures capable of withstanding the region’s demanding wave environment. This reduced construction risk and strengthened the long‑term durability of critical coastal defences.

Confidence in terminal operations

By identifying where the highest wave loads would occur at the new container terminal , we helped engineers refine the quay and deck design. This resulted in a terminal better protected against extreme conditions - supporting safe berthing, efficient cargo operations and reduced downtime.

A sustainable, predictable dredging strategy

One of the project’s biggest risks was how large‑scale dredging and disposal could alter seabed levels and affect port access and maintenance dredging requirements. Our modelling provided evidence on:

where sediment would travel
how disposal sites would behave over time
whether dredging would cause unacceptable morphological change

This directly enabled the approval of the capital dredging programme and ensured that disposal plans met both environmental expectations and operational requirements.

Reduced uncertainty during construction

As works progressed, we continued advising on unplanned discharges and operational changes. This support helped the contractor make informed decisions, maintain compliance, and keep the programme on schedule.

Enabling delivery of a globally connected maritime gateway

Our input has helped the Al Faw Grand Port move from ambition to delivery with confidence. Today, the project is progressing with a resilient design, a validated dredging strategy, and a understanding of how the port will perform in one of the Gulf’s most challenging coastal environments. Ultimately, this work supports Iraq’s goal of creating a modern, efficient and globally connected gateway for trade and economic growth.