PQA to increase berths

Karachi: Port Qasim has embarked upon massive development and expansion programmes under which it will double its berthing capacity from nine berths to 18 and enhance its cargo handling capacity from 31 million tons (including boxes) to 81 million tons per annum within next four to five years.

Port Qasim Authority (PQA), Vice Admiral Asad Qureshi told a Pak media that the port was taking measures to face the challenges of high cargo volumes, resulting out of vibrant and high economic activity and would see that all necessary infrastructure was available to cater to the needs of port users.

He said presently nine berths are operative at the port and after adding nine more, there would be a total of 19 berths, including one meant for oil and chemical cargo.

Mr Qureshi said by doubling the berthing capacity, the Port Qasim would be in a position to handle a large number of vessels at a time and it would help further reduce a turn-around period of vessels.

Similarly, he said this would help to enhance cargo handling capacity by 160 per cent from the present volume of 31 million tons per annum.

He expressed the hope that all these development works would be completed by the year 2010 to 2012 which will ensure that ever-rising volume of external trade (imports and exports) of the country was smoothly handled without keeping vessels to wait at the off-port and incur huge demurrage charges to trade.

Looking at the rapid growth in cargo volume, Vice Admiral Asad Qureshi said the Port Qasim has to keep its expansion pace in development work for providing infrastructure at equal level to facilitate trade and port users who need quick movement of cargo to stay competitive in the world market.

The current handling capacity of the port is 31 million tons, but in the run on process of capacity utilisation, it would come to around 25 million tons during current fiscal which will give utilisation factor of 81 per cent. For this very reason, Asad Qureshi said the port has to undertake quick and massive development and expansion work by setting up new berths and terminals to cater to rapidly growing demand of port facilities.

Presently, he said the PQA was pursuing a large number of projects for capacity enhancement which include second container terminal, another iron ore and coal berth, grain and fertiliser terminal, coal and clinker-cum-cement terminal. Besides, two LNG floating terminals, LPG terminal, second oil terminal and liquid cargo terminal.

The port has witnessed a record increase of 13.2 million tons in cargo-handling during the first half of current fiscal (July-December 2006), thereby showing an increase of 23 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

Similarly, ship movement also registered a growth of 22 per cent during July-December 2006.

It is note worthy that a record increase of 53 per cent was observed in POL imports at FOCTO oil terminal.

The Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT), which caters for more than one-third of total box trade of the country, has shown an impressive growth of 19 per cent during this period.

Revival of export cargo at the port of commodities, like cement and rice, has shown an unprecedented growth at 253 per cent as compared with corresponding period.

Dry cargo handling, inclusive of box trade, has shown an increase of 17 per cent while liquid cargo increased by 35 per cent.

In terms of imports and exports, the former increased by 22 per cent while the latter registered a growth of 21 per cent during July-December 2006.