Two workers said the port of Umm Qasr was hit by a blast. A major commodities port located near Basra, Umm Qasr is also one of the largest in Iraq. Haider Abbas, a port employee, told Reuters, "A powerful blast took place at around 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) near Berth 17 of Umm Qasr port shattering the windows of nearby offices."
According to officials, a truck bomb caused the explosion. Shipping traffic, however, remained unaffected. Mahdi Askar of the General Company for Maritime Transport told Reuters, "Shipping movements and unloading operations at Umm Qasr port were not disrupted by the explosion,"
Commodities such as grain and heavy equipment for use in the oil industry are shipped in Umm Qasr. It does not, however, take care of crude oil exports. Umm Qasr's location is strategic because it sits right at the top of the Gulf waterway close to the border of Iraq and Kuwait.
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