KARACHI, Sept 4: Pakistan will emerge as the first country on the world map of ports to have a deep-water container terminal with a draft of 18 metre. It will be capable of receiving and handling super post-Panamax container vessels with a loading capacity of over 14,000 boxes.

The container terminal with an estimated cost of $1.2 billion is being built at east of Keamari Groyne and is going to be operational within next three years wherein four berths out of total ten berths will be completed under phase-1.

The futuristic container port will not only bring in economic benefit to the country in the form of lower freight charges but will also entirely change the complex of shipping trade in the region.

In order to meet the economies of scale major shipping lines would prefer to avail the ultra-modern facility and use it as a hub for transhipment purposes.Above all, the rapidly growing economies of Asia and ever-increasing volume of containerised cargo of the region prove a boon for shipping companies and port operators, who are equally faced with rising costs of operation.

Even today shipping lines are confronted with rising cost and on an average a ship having loading capacity between 2,000 to 8,000 Teus incur a fix and permanent cost of around $50,000 per day.

Shipping companies are frequently changing their vessels to bigger-size vessels, which could accommodate large volumes of containers for haulage and also ensure freight competitiveness.

Presently large size vessels operating in the world have the capacity to carry around 5,000 to 8,000 Teus but only two months back a first super post-Panamax vessel with a loading capacity of over 9,000 boxes made a maiden voyage to a European port.

However, the deepest draft of any port in the world is not more than 17 metre.

By taking lead in providing deep-water container terminal facility the country would also manage to attract cargoes of other countries, besides, helping its own trade by reducing cost and transit time. Presently most of the cargo destined for Pakistan first goes to other regional ports and then carried by feeder vessels to Karachi.

However, after the establishment of the new container terminal the entire process will be reversed as mother-ships (super post-Panamax vessels) will not only discharge country’s cargo directly but will also bring in transit cargo meant for other ports of the region.

According to ports and shipping experts the deeper-draft container terminal will greatly influence the shipping activity in the region and countries like China and India could also benefit from this facility. India’s north-western provinces could get a big margin in freight as compared to Mumbai Port, which is further to the south of Karachi. Similarly, Chinese provinces to south-west could also cut their cost as this terminal can reduce their distance by 500-km.

The experts said that only those ports would remain in the limelight, which keep pace with the changing environment and technology and there are many instances where some leading world ports diminished with the time and were reduced to regional ports. If the Karachi Port is to keep itself abreast of the changes it will have to upgrade its facilities and improve efficiency, they added.

The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) chairman Vice Admiral Ahmad Hayat told Dawn that already many lines had shown interest in starting their operation in Pakistan in anticipation of upcoming deep-water container terminal. He said that the KPT would take full care to ensure that the container port start its operations under first phase on June, 2009, and the progress of the project will be monitored on hourly basis.

He said under phase-I the cost would come to around $530 to $550 million and out of this the KPT will be spending around $350 million with $200 million coming through investment from the private sector.

He further said that the 1,500 metre long four-berth terminal quay wall, designed at 18 metre depth, together with separate navigable approach channel, 700 metre wide harbour basin, navigational aids and the protection works will be constructed by the KPT at Keamari Groyne.

However, he said the private sector will be asked to build and equip the 65-hectare backup area as a high throughput terminal, including container yards, storage and transfer areas, operational buildings, STS cranes, RTGs and all supporting equipment and facilities to handle a minimum of 1.5 million Teus per annum in phase-II.

The KPT chairman said that the terminal will be connected with the cargo village being developed on an area of 13.3 acres. This will provide all sorts of facilities including container freight station (CFS), warehousing complex, container storage complex, bonded warehouses, dangerous goods storage and disposal facility, marketing and commercial zone, cold storage and food processing plants etc.

Responding to a question Ahmad Hayat said that the second phase of the container terminal will be completed by 2010-12 and this will enable the terminal to handle up to 1.5 million boxes per annum.