On Monday, February 9, 2026, Ms. Géraldine Delannoy, representative of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), carried out an inspection tour at Al Faw Grand Port. The visit included a review of the system of navigational buoys and the routes of the maritime channels, accompanied by Captain Zain Al-Abidin Adel Al-Moussawi, the Iraqi Ports Authority’s delegate to the organization, along with several technical and maritime staff.

Captain Al-Moussawi stated that the field tour involved examining the navigational buoys and maritime channels, as well as assessing the condition of the marine lighting systems, in the presence of the Director of Marine Lighting and a group of journalists.

He added that the IALA representative conducted three workshops and on-site lectures for the port’s maritime personnel, focusing on mechanisms for handling emergency and crisis situations at sea, and on operational requirements in accordance with international navigation standards.

He further noted that the visit was part of efforts to strengthen technical cooperation between the Iraqi Ports Authority and IALA, with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of maritime staff and supporting navigational safety systems at Al Faw Grand Port and across Iraq’s maritime channels.

This tour forms part of a broader field monitoring program implemented by IALA to assess navigational operations in Iraqi ports and to evaluate marine aids to navigation systems, coinciding with the imminent commencement of operations at Al Faw Grand Port.