Troops from Marchwood Military Port on Southampton Water will face tough conditions at the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr as they play a vital role in the battle against Saddam Hussein.

Aid shipments are set to begin flowing into Iraq within days after British troops finally declared the southern Iraqi port secure yesterday.

Commandos from 42 Royal Marines carried out a sweep around the port where diehard Iraqis had continued to hold out

A force of around 400 Marchwood-based soldiers, part of the 17th Port and Maritime Regiment, will now impose tight control on the dock complex that is Iraq's only deep-water gateway with the rest of the world.

Last night they were hit by torrential rain as they began to make the port shipshape for aid deliveries.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Sir Galahad was expected to dock this morning with the first supplies of emergency relief. She will deliver 192 tonnes of food, 92 tonnes of bottled water as well as blankets, plastic sheeting for shelter and medical packs.

The regiment's navigators and pilots will guide ships in, while others unload the vital cargo which will be sent to 12 distribution points by 102 Logistics Brigade.

Fleeing Iraqi officials appeared to have left the port infrastructure intact, said Major Ray Tonner, from 42 Commando.

"When we came in it didn't seem to be ransacked," he said. "Offices were tidied and left. There were very few with stuff left in. Others look as if they have been left for the weekend.

"Getting all the equipment up and running is the main focus for the next couple of days."

Dated Russian mines have been discovered at the rundown port but a large, modern replacement built nearby appears free from explosives.

Giant cranes today stood idle and huge warehouses were empty at what should be transformed within days as the main gateway for aid into Iraq.

There has been unexpectedly fierce fighting in areas surrounding the port in recent days. Commandos in Umm Qasr were not over-concerned at the threat of suicide attack.

Initially wary, local Iraqis were now approaching the British troops. "They ask us for cigarettes and shoes and water - they don't look emaciated or hungry if you ask me," said Major Tonner. It's been nice in the past few days to see women and children on the streets."

Arabic interpreters are being used to "build bridges" with Iraqis. Civilian liaison officers will move in shortly. "Quite a few are worried about the Ba'ath party coming back.

"We are trying to reassure them that that is not the case, that we are here for the long term. We will not hurt them in any way."

One military spokesman in Iraq said there were some comparisions between Umm Qasr and Southampton, but in other ways they are vastly different.

Compared with the hi-tech facilities in Southampton docks, the Iraqi port has only relatively basic equipment, although it does have at least two modern gantry cranes capable of working container ships.

Altogether there are a total of 21 separate berths, most more than 200 metres long, which deal with containers together with cargoes of sugar, cement, grain and sulphur as well as roll-on/roll-off vessels.

Umm Qasr, classed as having a small-sized harbour, is also listed as having a heavy lift floating crane, a large area of quayside storage space and a range of stevedore equipment.

Although it is usual for ships to berth on arrival off Umm Qasr there are times when vessels face delays of up to ten days waiting at the pilot station before being allowed into port.

The comparison with Southampton is stark. Southampton is one of the most important ports in the UK and has a vast range of highly-sophisticated facilities generating up to £1.3 billion a year for the local economy and safeguards about 10,000 jobs in local port-related industries.

It manages more than 59,000 shipping movements and handling more than 37 million tonnes of cargo yearly.