Summary
Content
Dubai businesses engaging in trade with Iraq are increasingly using the longer route through Saudi and Jordan to Baghdad instead of taking advantage of the shipping lane from Dubai to Iraqi ports (Umm Qasr, Abu Fluss). The road through Abdali/ Safwan borders to Baghdad is by far shorter than the one from Al Karamah/Trebil borders. The cited reasons for why the longer route is preferred by traders include congestion in Umm Qasr, complicated visa process for drivers going through the Kuwaiti border and congestion at the Abdali/Safwan borders.
The quoted rate for a 40’ container from Dubai by ship and road to Baghdad is in the region of $ 3,000. The rates for a trailer load have recently come down from $ 3,700 to $ 3,200. Some of the trailers are returning from Jordan or Syria from where they bring vegetables to the UAE market.