KARACHI: The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) handled the highest volume of cargo in its 138-year-old history this fiscal year, state media reported on Sunday, as the US-Iran war in the Middle East rerouted several ships toward Pakistan.
Pakistan saw a surge in port activity after the US-Iran war started in February this year, with several vessels diverting from Gulf transshipment hubs toward KPT, Port Qasim and Gwadar ports in Pakistan.
The Press Information Department (PID) said KPT handled more than 54.685 million metric tons of cargo this fiscal year, surpassing its HI: record achieved in 2017-18.
“KPT had surpassed its previous all-time cargo handling record of 54.685 million tons during the current fiscal year,” the PID quoted Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry as saying.
The minister attributed the achievement to enhanced operational efficiency, effective management and increased port capacity, the PID said.
Chaudhry said the government continued to modernize ports, expand their capacity, strengthen logistics infrastructure and provide facilities in line with international standards, the PID added.
Karachi Port is Pakistan’s largest seaport and handles a substantial share of the country’s seaborne trade. Container volumes are closely watched as an indicator of trade activity and port performance, while the government has been investing in infrastructure upgrades to position Pakistan as a regional logistics and transshipment hub.
The latest milestone comes a week after the KPT said it set a new record for container throughput by handling more than 2.651 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the current fiscal year.
