After years of dedicated efforts by ArcelorMittal Projects Near East, a significant milestone was achieved with the successful execution of the first-ever sheet pile order to serve as a retaining wall for the construction of an underground car park in Iraq. ArcelorMittal has supplied 606 tons of hot-rolled AU20 sheet piles in total for this car park project in Karbala. The journey to this achievement involved persistent collaboration, transfer of knowledge, solution refinement, and optimised logistics.

Logistical challenges and solutions

With a tight timeline and difficulties in shipping to Iraq, the team needed to overcome logistical challenges. The decision was made to supply sheet piles from the ArcelorMittal Projects stockyard in Dubai due to its proximity to the project location in Karbala, Iraq. A total of 542 tons of AU20 sheet piles were spliced to a final length of 13.5 metres and then shipped to the Umm Qasr Port in Iraq. A second lot of 64 tons was supplied from mill production in Antwerp, with a length of 12 metres. The complex logistics from both Dubai and Antwerp required careful planning and execution to ensure timely delivery, meet cargo readiness timelines and navigate shipping challenges.