65 ships arrive at Gadani for breaking

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISLAMABAD: At least 65 abandoned ships have arrived at the Gadani ship-breaking yard from various countries for scrapping while more are expected to reach shortly.

According to a senior official of the Customs Department, the ship-breaking industry will flourish once again in the country with the arrival of 65 abandoned ships and more which are expected to reach after a gap of two decades.

It will not only provide job opportunities to thousands of workers, but will also provide a boost to the steel industry as these 65 ships will produce around 500,000 tons of scrap for the steel industry in the country, he said.

Around Rs1000 million have, so far, been generated from customs duty and income tax through the import of abandoned ships, he said.

The ship-breaking industry was at its climax in the 70s when up to 150 ships had been brought to the Gadani ship-breaking yard, he noted. However, the industry lost its charm in the 90s when the rates of abandoned ships increased and duty was imposed on ship breaking.

This led to an increase in the smuggling of scrap from Iran and Afghanistan to Pakistan. The smuggling will now come to a halt after the revival of the local ship-breaking industry, he hoped.

The Balochistan government will also gain from more financial resources due to the boost in the ship-breaking industry at Gadani, he said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=183487