Note: The Department of Defense and CPA do not endorse the use of any of the following products, services, organizations, companies, or content

Commercial Shipping Arranging the transportation for potential donations is often the most challenging piece of the donation process. For donations meeting specific requirements, transportation paid for by the Department of Defense (DoD) shipping may be an option. In a majority of cases, however, donors will ultimately bear the responsibility of arranging and funding the transportation of their donations. This can be complex and expensive. Donors are encouraged to carefully research shipping options as they bear sole responsibility for their donations throughout the transportation process. The size of a potential donation often determines the appropriate means of shipping. For smaller shipments, several direct shipping options are available. Potential domestic shipping options include: Note: The Department of Defense and CPA do not endorse the use of any of the following products, services, organizations, companies, or content. DHL Federal Express UPS United Stated Postal Service For larger, high-volume shipments, few direct-to-Iraq shipping options are available, due to restricted access to airport and seaport facilities. Both Baghdad and Basra airports are open only to very limited commercial traffic. The port of Umm Qasr is open to commercial traffic, again, on a limited basis. Ocean going vessels are currently able to unload at only one pier. Priority is given to humanitarian assistance shipments. Many freight shipping services access Iraq through Jordan, Syria, and Kuwait. Arranging ground transportation is another aspect of shipping. Trucks handle much of the freight shipping service in Iraq. When selecting a freight shipping option, it is important to investigate the availability of multi-modal transportation for donations to be delivered to the proper recipient. A wide variety of freight shipping and logistics operations are available for transporting goods to Iraq. Potential donors are urged to carefully investigate their options to ensure that their shipping and transportation needs are met. For valuable information concerning transportation and logistics in Iraq, please visit the United Nations Joint Logistics Center . Many Non-Government Organizations (NGO) have established transportation systems to accommodate donations, large and small. Potential donors are encouraged to investigate donating to existing NGOs that have donation systems in place. Visit InterAction for a more information concerning NGOs providing support to reconstruction efforts in Iraq.