Pakistan’s biggest port starts test operations

11/12/2016 06:05 AST

Pakistan’s biggest Deep Water Container Port (DWCP) has started test operations by accommodating the first container ship, APL Japan.

The vessel took alongside berth No. 4 of the port for loading around 1,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export cargo, officials said.

However, the vessel having a draft of 12 metres and an overall length of 262 metres is a small vessel for a big port like the DWCP, which has a designed draft of 18 metres and operational draft of 16 metres.

The port, located at Keamari east of Karachi Port, has the capacity to handle mother ships. The APL Japan first called at Karachi International Container Terminal, West Wharf Karachi Port, and unloaded containers of import cargo and later shifted to the DWCP.

Officials said keeping in view safety factors in mind, a small vessel was deliberately selected for test operations. They hoped that the DWCP would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the third week of January. Moreover, using a smaller vessel also provided an opportunity to the terminal operator to experience and check possible flaws. A vessel left will Saturday for China via Colombo Port, Sri Lanka. This indicated that the port may play a major role in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Under the first phase of development, the terminal operator, South Asia Pakistan Terminals (SAPT), has constructed berths No.3 and 4 while berths No. 1 and 2 would be taken up for completion under the second phase. A spokesman for SAPT, owned and operated by Hutchison Ports of Hong Kong, said it has invested around $600 million. The terminal operator has already brought in equipment, including five ship-to-shore gantry cranes.

Besides, the terminal operator has also completed three building blocks to be used for administration, customs and canteen. A power station with a generation capacity of 28 megawatts is also ready. The port has the capacity to handle 3.1m TEUs a year and have a storage yard to accommodate 550,000 TEUs a year, sources said.

The Gulf Today