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[Janae Chebret]

ThePort of Karachi (Urdu: کراچی بندرگاہ, Bandar gāh Karāchī) is one of South Asia's largest and busiest deep-water seaports, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum) located in Karachi, Pakistan. It is located on the Karachi Harbour, between Kiamari Azra Langri, Manora, and Kakapir, and close to Karachi's main business district and several industrial areas. The geographic position of the port places it in close proximity to major shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. It is also ideally located to offer gateway services to the maritime trade for the Central Asian Republics (CARs).[3] The administration of the port is carried out by the Karachi Port Trust, which was established in 1857.

The history of the port is intertwined with that of the city of Karachi. Several ancient ports have been attributed in the area including "Krokola", "Morontobara" (Woman's Harbour) (mentioned by Nearchus),[4] Barbarikon (the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea,[5] and Debal (a city captured by the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE). There is a reference to the early existence of the port of Karachi in the "Umdah", by the Arab navigator Sulaiman al Mahri (AD 1511), who mentions "Ras al Karazi" and "Ras Karashi" while describing a route along the coast from Pasni to Ras Karashi. Karachi is also mentioned in the sixteenth century Turkish treatise Mir't l Memlik by the Ottoman captain Seydi Ali Reis, who warns sailors about whirlpools and advises them to seek safety in "Kaurashi" harbour if they found themselves drifting dangerously.

In 1728 heavy rains silted up the harbour at Kharak, forcing merchants to relocate to the area of modern Karachi. In 1729, they built a new fortified town called Kolachi (also known as Kalachi-jo-Kun and Kolachi-jo-Goth) on high ground north of Karachi bay, surrounded by a 16-foot (5 m) high mud and timber-reinforced wall with gun-mounted turrets and two gates. The gate facing the sea was called "Kharadar" (salt gate), and the gate facing the Lyari River[6] was called "Mithadar" (sweet gate). From 1729 to 1783 the strategic location of Kolachi saw the town change hands several times between the Khans of Kalat and the rulers of Sind. In 1783, after two prolonged sieges the town fell to the Talpur Mirs of Sind, who constructed Manora Fort mounted with cannons on Manora island at the harbour entrance.[7]

The British were concerned about Russian expansion towards the Arabian Sea, so in 1839 they occupied Karachi and later the whole of the Sindh. The port served as a landing point for troops during the First Afghan War. A number of British companies opened offices and warehouses in Karachi and the population increased rapidly. By 1852, Karachi was an established city with a population of 14,000 and a prosperous overseas trade.

The modern port began to take shape in 1854, when the main navigation channel was dredged and a mole or causeway was constructed to link the main harbour with the rest of the city. This was followed by construction of Manora breakwater, Keamari Groyne, the Napier Mole Bridge and the Native Jetty Bridge. The construction of the wharves started in 1882, and by 1914 the East Wharf and the Napier Mole Boat Wharf were complete while 1927 and 1944, the West Wharf, the lighterage berths and the ship-repair berths were constructed between 1927 and 1944.

Karachi Port has three liquid cargo-handling berths (oil piers) to handle both POL and non POL products. There port also has a dry dock at Manora for quick boat repairs. Repairs for larger ships are offered at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW).[9] The shipyard carries out shipbuilding and repair for both commercial and military customers on a 29-hectare (70 acres) site at the West Wharf. The facilities include a large shipbuilding hall, three shipbuilding berths, two dry-docks and three foundries.[14]

The flow of cargo to and from the port is hampered by severe congestion in the harbour with several other maritime facilities located close to the port. Adjacent to the West Wharf is the Karachi Fishing Harbour, which is administered separately from the port and is the base for a fleet of several thousand fishing vessels. The West Wharf also hosts a ship repair facility and shipyard and a naval dockyard at the tip of the wharf, while to the south of the port are the Karachi Naval Base and the Kiamari Boat Club.

The Port of Karachi also faces competition from a new private terminal located 5 kilometres to the west. In recent years the federal government has attempted to alleviate the increased congestion by constructing a second port in Karachi thirty kilometres to the east at Port Qasim and a third major port at Gwadar, about 650 kilometres west of Karachi.

The Karachi Fishing Harbour has been upgraded recently, and a second fishing harbour has been built 18 kilometres away at Korangi. The transfer of some naval vessels to the new naval base at Ormara has brought about further reductions in congestion.

Further deepening of the port has been planned by the Karachi Port Trust in order to enhance facilities. The channel is being dredged initially to 13.5 metres deep to cater for 12-metre draught vessels at all tides. At Kiamari Groyne, located at the outer tip of the harbour, dredging will be to 16.5 metres to enable vessels up to 300 metres long to dock. Other projects to expand the port include:[15]

On 9 November 2007, the Karachi Port Trust signed a US$1 billion agreement with Hutchison Port Holdings to construct a new terminal called the "Pakistan Deep Water Container Port", which would begin operations by 2010, and would have ten berths capable of handling Super Post Panamax container ships.[16][17]

Karachi Gateway Terminal (Private) Limited - KGTL, operates under a 50-year concession to operate a container terminal at berths 6-10 on the East Wharf of Karachi Port. KGTL is a joint venture firm of AD Ports Group as a major investor and Kaheel Terminals.[18]

AD Ports Group will invest $220 million in the upgradation and expansion of the container terminal. Karachi Gateway Terminal plans on achieving a total handling capacity of 1 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent) with investments in machinery and infrastructure.[18]

The current draft depth of berths is 13 meters that KGTL plans to increase to up to 15 meters to cater to larger and deeper vessels. There are also plans to develop a turning basin in collaboration with Karachi Port Trust that would allow vessels of LOA (Length Over All) of about 350 meters.[19]

Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose (Private) Limited - KGTML, operates under a 25-year concession to operate a bulk and general cargo terminal at berths 11-17 on the East Wharf o Karachi Port.[20][21] KGTML is a joint venture of AD Ports Group as a major shareholder and Kaheel Terminals, UAE.

KGTML is scheduled to receive an investment of $100 million from AD Ports Group of which $75 million is expected to be made within the first two years of the concession.[22] The investment will raise operational efficiency to 75% enabling the terminal to handle up to 14 million tons per annum compared to the current cargo handling of 8 million tons. This transactional volume is expected to be achieved within the first five years.[23]

Since 2016, South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT) operates the largest deep sea port of the country. Hutchison Ports Pakistan invested $600m in the first phase of SAPT which included two berths having length of 800 meters.[24]

Hutchison Ports Pakistan is a subsidiary of Hutchison Port Holdings, which in turn is a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings. On 18 December, 2019, Hutchison Ports Pakistan welcomed CV COSCO BELGIUM, the largest container vessel to ever call at any port of Pakistan, with a length of over 366 meters and a capacity of 13,386 TEUs.[25]

The area around the harbour includes several mangrove forests which are constantly under threat from human activities. To the east of the port lies Chinna Creek, which covers about 6 km and is dotted with mangrove islands. To the southwest of the port is another much larger mangrove forest in the bay formed by several islands and Manora breakwater; the river Layari flows into this bay, bringing waste from upstream suburbs.[27]

The beach immediately east of the harbour was the scene of a significant oil spillage when the Greek-registered Tasman Spirit ran aground on 28 July 2003.[28] The environmental impact included large numbers of dead fish and turtles and damage to a key mangrove forest, as well as dozens of people suffering nausea.[29]

The Karachi Dock Labour Board (KDLB) is responsible for labour relations between employees and the Karachi Port Trust. In October 2006, the Pakistan government decided to close down Karachi Dock Labour Board by the end of the year as part of its port strategy and under the National Trade Corridor (NTC) programme. The closure of KDLB would cost around Rs 4.2 billion ($70 million) to the national exchequer.[30]

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