No dredging at Gwadar Port since its construction

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI (December 26 2008): The government, which has persistently been pressing for full operationality of Gwadar Port, has not carried out maintenance dredging at the deep-sea port since its construction early 2006. According to well-placed sources a sizeable siltation, ranging from 0.6 to 0.7 meter, has reduced draft in the 4.8-kilometer-long navigational channel of the newly constructed port at different points.

They said the 14.1-meter outer and 13.8-meter inner channel of Gwadar Port, which was fast clogging up with huge inflows of silt every year, was in dire need for maintenance dredging. In this regard, the sources said, Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) had floated tenders twice, one last year and the second one this year.

Siltation at the 13.8-meter-deep turning basin and the 14.5-meter-deep pocket area was making the Balochistan based deep-sea port unusable for the deeper-draft mother vessels, which as per transshipment vision of Islamabad, would soon be arriving at Gwadar, they added. The sources claimed that GPA had to cancel last year's tender under pressure.

They said the Authority had again floated a tender and was evaluating documents filed by the national and international dredging companies. They said siltation had reduced the draft at "alongside" to 12.5 meter last year, when M/v PS Glory, the first deep-draft ship carrying over 70,000 tonnes of wheat, was due at Gwadar Port. GPA had to rush to Karachi Port Trust for its dredgers for clearing the channel, said the sources. According to the sources maintenance dredging on yearly basis was required at Gwadar Port to avoid problems.

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