KARACHI: The cargo handling operations, including export and import, brisked up at the Karachi Port Trust during the financial year 2016-17 and the KPT broke its own record.
The total cargo handling remained 50.05 million tons during the financial year 2015-16, but closed at 52.49 million tons in 2016-17, registering an increase of 4.89 percent.
The container handling closed at 2.11 million TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units – i.e. equivalent to 20 feet container box size) whereas the same remained 1.96 million TEUs during the same period of last year.
The cargo handling at KPT breakup shows that the port handled 37.17 million tons of import and export dry cargo whereas it handled 34.59 million tons cargo last year, showing an increase of 7.46 percent of additional cargo in the year 2016-17.
The liquid bulk cargo of import and export has been closed at 15.32 million tons. Further, the breakup of dry and liquid bulk cargo shows that the export cargo handling during financial year 2016-17 remained at 8.54 million tons and 1.32 million tons, respectively. The tonnage of export remained 8.40 million tons and 1.38 million tons during the year 2015-16.
Similarly, the handling of import dry and liquid bulk cargo also closed at 28.63 million tons and 14.00 million tons whereas these remained 26.19 million tons of dry cargo import and 14.07 million tons of liquid bulk cargo import.
KPT has handled 9.32% additional dry import cargo during the financial year 2016-17 and the major contribution in this growth is dry bulk import cargo which is +23.85% during financial year 2016-17. The port recorded handling of export of Urea this year apart from handling other import commodities like fertilizer and seeds.
The ships traffic has also improved during the financial year 2016-17 by witnessing arrival / departure of 758 container ships, 244 bulk cargo ships, 379 general cargo ships and 541 oil tankers.
During last financial year 738 container ships, 222 bulk cargo ships, 374 general cargo ships and 559 oil tankers was handled in the year 2015-16. It is important to highlight that the KPT made available the Deep Draft Berths and as a result larger vessels has been accommodated with more
