"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [و‎‎٣‎٥‎٩] (٨٦٢/٧٢٠)

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WATERWAYS 559
Shaft al Arab Navigation
The Shatt al Arab, from Qurna to the Persian Gulf, is navigable
for steamers throughout. The draught of ships is limited by bars.
The Rooka channel across the outer bar is dredged to a minimum
depth of 23 feet at mean low-water springs and has a maximum depth
of 33 feet at high-water springs. The Western channel across the
outer bar has a minimum depth of 8 feet and is used by shallow-
draught and sailing vessels. The inner bar, east-north-east of Ras al
Bisha, is dredged to a minimum depth of 23^ feet. The Karun bar,
south of the junction of the Haffar channel (p. 152), is dredged to a
minimum depth of 20 feet at mean low-water springs and has a
maximum depth of about 27 feet at high-water springs. Above
Maqil (p. 511), shipping to Qurna is limited by the Qurna bar, which
carries maximum depths of 10 feet during the low-river season and
15 feet during the high-river season.
The navigable channel is lighted and buoyed by the port of Basra
authorities, so that navigation is possible by night.
Tigris Navigation
The Tigris is navigable as far as Baghdad by river steamers with
draughts of 4 ft. 6 in. in the high-river season and 4 feet in the low-
river season. They can tow barges, alongside only, with draughts of
4 feet in the high-river season and 3 feet in the low-river season.
Steamers without barges take 4 days to go from Basra to Baghdad
during the high-river season and 2^ days to return; during the low-
river season, 8 days are required for the upstream journey and 7 days
down. For steamers towing barges the corresponding times are:
high-river, 5 or 6 days up and 3 or 4 down; low-river, 10 to 14 days
up and 6 to 8 down. The total upstream movement possible from
Basra was estimated in 1942 as 600 tons a day, to be increased to
1,500 tons from Basra to Baghdad or 2,500 tons from Basra to Kut al
Imara by the provision of additional craft.
Above Baghdad small steamers of 3-foot draught can reach Mosul
with great difficulty between December and May; during the rest of
the year in this section, as during the whole year above Mosul,
navigation is confined to downstream raft traffic. Small craft can
reach Baquba, on the Diyala, during the high-river season.
Navigation on the Tigris is never easy, for several reasons. The
river is narrow and has numerous bends. The navigable channels
change every season and shoals and sandbanks shift frequently, so