On Sunday, July 20, 2025, the General Company for Ports of Iraq announced the commencement of operations to float and submerge the fourth concrete segment of the immersed tunnel project at Al Faw Grand Port, positioning it beneath the Khor Al-Zubair Channel.

The company’s Director General, Dr. Eng. Farhan Al-Fartousi, stated: “The process of floating and submerging the fourth concrete segment of the immersed tunnel project at Al Faw Grand Port has officially begun.”

He explained that “the submersion phase (leveling) is being carried out under direct engineering supervision. During this phase, the segment was lowered to the bottom of the Khor Al-Zubair Channel using systems that control buoyancy, weight, and balance, ensuring precise placement along the tunnel’s designated path.”

He added that “submerging the fourth segment completes approximately 693 meters of the tunnel’s total length, including the Um Qasr approach, marking significant progress in the project’s execution timeline.”

The immersed tunnel at Al Faw Grand Port is the first of its kind in the Middle East to be constructed using the immersed segment technique. It connects both banks of the Khor Al-Zubair Channel underwater, utilizing massive concrete segments that are carefully submerged on the seabed after being prepared in a closed manufacturing basin.