Dozens of vessels awaiting wharfage at KPT and Port Qasim

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISMAIL DILAWAR
KARACHI (October 17 2008): The country's seaports are facing the worst ever congestion in ten years due to an influx of at least 34 unscheduled vessels belonging to Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) at the outer anchorage of Karachi Port and Port Qasim.

According to Karachi Port Trust's (KPT) daily port activity report at least 17 ships carrying wheat, cement, fertiliser and other containerised cargo are awaiting wharfage at Karachi Port.

Daily Shipping Activity report of the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) on Thursday has also revealed that at least 17 ships, seven of them carrying wheat, 2 iron ore, 2 cement, 2 rice, 2 palm oil, one coal, one containerised cargo and one project cargo are waiting at the outer anchorage. When contacted a KPT official said main reason for the congestion was the unscheduled arrivals of wheat and cement ships.

"TCP and cement exporters do not bother to give us prior information about the expected arrivals of their ships, instead, they tell us when their ships anchor at the outer anchorage," he added.

Authorities in the TCP, he said, were not co-ordinating with KPT, port operator of Karachi Port, with regard to import of wheat, the essential commodity, quick transportation of which is need of the hour in the wake of prevailing wheat shortage in the country.

Further, the KPT official said the Corporation had employed a lethargic transportation network to dispatch the most awaited commodity to its final destinations. Another reason, he cited for the congestion, was the Oil Pier-II that he said was non-functional due to maintenance as dredging is being carried out at it.

"Tankers loaded with crude oil are also awaiting berthing as one of the oil piers at port is being dredged," he said. The KPT report shows that at least three tankers, M/v Lalazar, M/v Meridian Navigator and M/v M. T. Johar, loaded with crude oil are standing at the outer anchorage.

The official confirmed that the congestion could be termed as one of the worst in the last ten years. A PQA official came up with almost the same reasons when asked about the excessive traffic at Qasim Port. "Unscheduled ships of TCP and steel mills have caused the congestion," he added.

He said, like KPT the PQA was facing the same problem from TCP and PSM, who never come up with a prior notice of coming ships at the port. "They should inform us before the arrival of a ship so that we could make arrangement for its berthing, but unfortunately they don't," lamented the official. Realising sensitivity of the issue the federal government has arranged high-level meetings at KPT and PQA today to seek ways to make the ports congestion-free.

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