International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) subsidiary Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), the only roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) terminal in Iraq, recently welcomed the first direct freight service from the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Operated by DP World, the service connects Jebel Ali in Dubai with BGT at the Port of Umm Qasr, and potentially all of Iraq, with RoRo shipments. Compared to the usual 14-day period for cross-border land transport between the two countries, the service offers a drastically-cut alternative travel time of just 36 hours from the Port of Jebel Ali to the Port of Umm Qasr. The service caters to unaccompanied trailers transported by sea without truck cabs. From the Port of Jebel Ali, the trailers are loaded on to the vessel and discharged at the Port of Umm Qasr, where a local truck transports it directly to the end destination. Prior to the start of this service, Iraq-bound cargo from the UAE that are transported by road needed to be transloaded or transferred from one truck to another. The arrival of the service complements the fast-growing economy of Iraq by offering a more efficient trade route compared to export and import cargo transiting through neighboring countries. BGT facilitates the efficient movement of trade between the two countries. ICTSI has been managing, operating and rehabilitating terminal facilities in North Port Umm Qasr, Iraq since 2014. The terminal operator is also expanding container handling capacity in the Iraqi port via new infrastructure development.