Al-Burhan Group (ABG) and steel-producing giant Thyssenkrupp have started shipping the first batch of rail bars to the Iraqi Republic Railway (IRR). The process is part of a contract to supply the IRR with 30,000 tons of rail bars that will assist in opening Iraq’s huge transport sector to new horizons of development.

The first team Iraqi inspection delegates has visited Thyssenkrupp's rail bar facilities to receive training and inspect the products before shipping to the Iraqi port.

The first delegation consists of 4 IRR Officers along with one inspector from the Integrity Department at the Ministry of Transport. The programme of the Iraqi inspection team began with spending one night in Port Antwerp, Belgium, in order to inspect the discharging/loading of the rail bars. It included staying a few nights in Duisburg, Germany, so as to inspect and conduct a mill tour, and to inspect the rolling process, the quality control, storage and loading.

The programme incorporates Third Party Inspection and Rail Documentation. Moreover, the Iraqi team took a track tour into the company factory in Bochum, Germany, an integral part of the inspection process.

Two more inspection teams are expected to visit Germany by the end of August and in the middle of September in order to conduct inspections for the second and third rail bar shipments.