Africa 24 Media Photography

Known as the ‘Gateway to Pakistan’, Karachi in southern Pakistan, is the capital of the Sind Province, and lies on the Arabian Sea, at the northwestern edge of the Indus River delta. It’s also a major port centered on the island of Kiamari. The Karachi port is located between the towns of Kiamari and Saddar and is Pakistan’s largest and busiest seaport, handling about 60% of the nations 25 million tons of cargo per annum.

The history of the port is intertwined with that of the city of Karachi, which has grown into something different. The Karachi harbor was once known as the “Gateway to Asia”, due to its strategic geographical location. The harbor is a sheltered bay to the south-west of the city, protected from storms by the Sandspit Beach, the Manora Island and the Oyster Rocks. The modern port began to take shape in 1854, when the main navigation channel was drenched and a causeway was constructed to link the main harbor with the rest of the city. The port comprises a deep natural harbor with an 11 kilometer long approach channel which provides safe navigation for vessels up to 75,000 metric tones. The main areas of port activity are two wharves; East Wharf with seventeen vessel berths and West Wharf with thirteen vessel berths. The maximum depth alongside the berths is currently 11.3 meters. The two wharves extend in opposite directions along the upper harbour – the East Wharf northeast from Kiamari Island and the West Wharf southwest from Saddar town. The two wharves each include a container terminal. However, the flow of the cargo to and from the port is hampered by severe congestion in the harbor with several other maritime facilities located close to the port. On November 9, 2007, the Karachi Port Trust, a Pakistan federal government agency that oversees the operations of the Karachi port, 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. Further deepening of the port has been planned by the agency in order to enhance facilities. Other projects that will be undertaken to expand the port include a new bulk cargo terminal at East Wharf, increase of the handling capacity and the purchasing of a new dredger, two hopper barges, two harbor tugs, two water barges, an anchor hoist vessel, two pilot boats, and a dredger tender, among others.

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