U.S. AWARDS IRAQI PORT CONTRACT TO SSA

U.S. AWARDS IRAQI PORT CONTRACT TO SSA    The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded a $4.8 million contract to Seattle-based Stevedoring Services of America to assess and manage port activities at Umm Qasr, the Iraqi port.
   The agency said that the seaport is critical to its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq.
   Stevedoring Services of America will be responsible for the operation of the port. The U.S. development agency said that the company will provide an initial port assessment, develop improvement plans to overcome port-imposed constraints, and supply technical expertise to ensure an adequate flow of through shipment.
   The company will be responsible for the port pilots who will guide ships up the channel, and will manage the access of trucking companies to the port and establish a system of controls to avoid theft and corruption, the agency said.
   Under the terms of the contract, Stevedoring Services of America will also facilitate cargo-handling services such as warehousing, shipment tracking, refrigerated and other cargo storage and the onward transport of shipments.