Aerospace & DefenseAutos & Transportation

Parliamentary Committee Investigates Car Importers’ Crisis in Umm Qasr: Key Findings Revealed

2025-01-30T06:50:15+00:00

The Parliamentary Economy, Industry, and Trade Committee recently concluded a visit to Basra Governorate, located in southern Iraq. This mission was undertaken to assess the operations at the Umm Qasr port following numerous complaints lodged by auto importers.

Kazem Al-Shammari, the committee’s chairman, stated that the visit was prompted by grievances from Korean car importers and others regarding the accumulation of their imported vehicles in the port. The issues focused on compliance certificates and the condition of the vehicles, particularly whether the wheels were new or used.

During the inspection at the port of Umm Qasr, the sub-committee, under Al-Shammari’s leadership, engaged with relevant stakeholders to validate the claims and gathered important data regarding the examination procedures. Al-Shammari emphasized that Iraq is incurring significant financial losses due to reliance on companies from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states rather than fostering domestic automotive industries.

In a related development, the Iraqi Border Ports Authority reported the seizure of more than 200 vehicles and heavy machinery that had entered Umm Qasr port using falsified documentation. This operation was part of an ongoing anti-smuggling campaign.

According to a statement from the authority, these seizures occurred over the course of just two days, primarily at the Northern and Shamali check points. The seized vehicles bore counterfeit identification numbers that aimed to misrepresent their age. The confiscation was made in collaboration with the investigating judiciary, culminating in an official seizure report.

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