'Persia Intelligence Report. May, 1946' [‎18v] (36/80)

(B) PORTS
[Part V — continued]
Approaches
Bandar Shapur is approached from the top of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. up the Khor Musa. This is a
deep-water, wide, channel with no difficulties for pilotage of large ships. With the exception of the
Shatt-al-Arab, of which only the east, or left, bank up to a point above Khorramshahr is Persian
territory, the Khor Musa is the only other waterway in Persia of importance with an outlet on the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
The Khor Musa inlet is entered between Ras Tanub, a low point situated about 18 miles north
westward of Ras Bahrgan, and Bu Sif, about 19 miles west-south-westward of Ras Tanub. Navigation
is restricted by tidal flats which dry in places to a comparatively narrow channel near the western
shore of the estuary.
The navigable channel of the Khor Musa is entered across a bar, lying about 7 miles eastward of
Bu Sif (Lat. 30° 01' N., Long. 48° 56' E.). The bar has a natural depth of 24 ft. at low water and a
mean rise of 9 ft. No dredging is necessary to keep the channel clear and any ship that can cross the
bar can pass up to the anchorage and the jetties. Within the bar the channel is about 1^ miles wide.
The banks at the entrance to the Khor are liable to change.
The bar is marked by three light-buoys, two on the western side and one on the eastern side, and
the channel is well lighted and buoyed.
The Khor would be impossible to block and difficult to mine.
(2) Conspicuous Objects
A light (Lat. 30° 27' N., Long. 49° 06' E.) is exhibited from the Bandar Shapur jetty.
(3) Tides, Tidal Streams and Currents
There is a mean rise of 9 ft. at the Khor Musa bar. The stream of tide is 2J to 3 knots.
It is reported that the spring rise at Bandar Shapur is 19 ft. and the neap rise 12 ft.
As a rough guide, the time of high water at Bandar Shapur is li hours later than at the
Shatt-al-Arab bar.
All tides are reported to be most irregular and except on the bar itself, unpredictable, either as
to height or stream.
Caution should be exercised when passing Qassar Bin Siswan, for the outgoing tidal stream there
attains a rate of about 3 knots and causes eddies and tide-rips over the shoal.
The most difficult part of the Khor, especially when the tidal streams are strong, is reported to be
at its junction with Khor Wastah.
(4) Weather
Weather generally does not influence the capacity of the port.
During south and south-east gales it is reported that the land to the south is inundated but there
is very little wave surface in the anchorage.
The rainy season begins in November.
(5) Anchorages
A vessel without local knowledge having crossed the bar should anchor in a depth of 7 fathoms
(12 m. 8) about 3 miles above it and wait until the tide has fallen sufficiently for the mud flat on the
western side to uncover. This bank is steep-to, and by following it the vessel may proceed to Khor
Qanaqeh. Anchorage may be obtained off the entrance to Khor Oanaqeh with Qabr-an-Nakhuda
bearing 095°, distant miles.
There are four anchorages off the wharf at Bandar Shapur. The water is very deep with poor
holding ground. j r r
There is ample further anchorage in the Khbr for ships of any draught capable of crossing this bar.
(6) Description of Harbour
The port is on the Khor Musa deep water channel and consists of an area reclaimed from the mud
flats about one mile long, and 400 yards wide which has been filled to a height of 5-8 ft above the
natural level of the mud bank.
There are berths with depths from 26 ft. 6 in. to 31 ft. at low water springs.
Discharging is carried out by means of cranes or ship's derricks direct into trucks on the quays
Cargo is also discharged into lighters from which cranes lift direct into trucks. ’
(7) Quayage, Cranage and Clearance from Quays
There are two main jetties with frontages on the Khor Musa.
(a) The old jetty. This is constructed of braced timber and deep steel piles.
It runs west and east and is approximately 800 ft. long and 41 ft. wide.
There is a least depth of 31 ft. at the seaward side of the jetty which gives berthina snarp fnr
two vessels. The inner side of the jetty shoals rapidly but can be used at all tides for berthing vessdl
with a draught of 6 ft. and a beam of not more than 20 ft. S vt.bseis