Iraqi deepwater port reopens

UMM QASR, Iraq, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- In a sign of improved security, the British Royal Navy entered Iraq's only deepwater port in Umm Qasr for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

The Umm Qasr port is the reception point for about 80 percent of all imports to Iraq. The HMS Blyth and HMS Atherstone conducted operations in early 2008 to clear the port of unexploded ordnance, while Iraqi naval ships coordinated security efforts along the coast, the British Ministry of Defense reported.

"It is a privilege to be one of the first British Naval ships visiting Iraq since 2003. This provides the perfect example of Iraq re-entering the international community," said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Holloway, commanding officer of the HMS Atherstone.

Royal Navy officials said the opening of the Umm Qasr deepwater port would help in the Iraqi reconstruction effort as global trade to the country would be able to proceed uninterrupted.

"In this way, the Royal Navy is setting the stage for increased regional stability, which moves U.K. forces another step closer to the government's plan of an eventual troop withdrawal, when the conditions are right," said HMS Blyth's commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr John Craig.

The Iraqi navy will continue to operate alongside the Royal Navy to improve its capabilities of patrolling the coastal waters of Iraq, key grounds for the country's oil industry, the Ministry of Defense said.