KARACHI: Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini has said that the port has the potential to become one of the busiest ports in the region.
In an exclusive interview with Customs Today, he said that the port is ready for ships to berth operations. Three ships arrived at the port during last week, he said, adding that the port has also designated an area for ferry services after announcement of the first ferry service license to Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC).
The chairman said that currently it is a small harbour, but there are immense opportunities for local and foreign investors in the port. The port is a focal point of China’s one belt one road project and it will not only lead to the growth of the city, but the whole country and even the whole region as, he said. Although the port is currently facing various problems, it will have sufficient resources to serve the entire region, he added.
Jamaldini said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is more than $56 billion bilateral economic project which is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s one belt one road vision. It is the biggest regional connectivity project which covers Europe, Central Asia and African region. He said that the CPEC will play a central role in the connectivity project of which Gwadar is the starting point and Khunjerab is the end point.
He said things are connected to each other, adding that technically Gwadar port is a multipurpose terminal which could handle containers in bulk along with loose and dry cargo and it could also handle vehicular shipments. However, infrastructure in the city is yet to complete and it is a big problem for container trucks to pass through the city with load.
He said Chinese ships are bringing their construction material for free economic zone as that material doesn’t need to move on roads of the city.
The government is making a large airport and has intention to build a railway track besides the roads on which works is going on at rapid pace. Once the infrastructure is completed, the port will be fully operational in commercial sense.
He said that the city lacks utility services as it receives only up to 12 megawatt electricity which is insufficient to run the port in its full capacity. However, the authorities have started work on coal-fired power project with the help of Chinese government and it is hoped that there will be no short of electricity in the city.
To resolve the water shortage issue, the federal and provincial governments have started work on two dams, Shadi Kaur and Sawar Kaur, which is a right step in the right direction, said the chairman.
He said Greenfield nature of Gwadar is also a challenge for the time being. “We have developed vocational training centre to educate the local people so that they could play their role in the port and could get their due share in the development,” he said.
