The Karachi Gateway Terminal Ltd (KGTL) is planning up to $100 million in new investment within the next five years, aiming to capitalize on a surge in cargo traffic from Iran and other sources. KGTL, supported by Abu Dhabi Ports Group, has already completed a $60 million dredging project at the Karachi Port and is expanding container and bulk-handling facilities.
CEO Khurram Aziz Khan of KGTL says their next phase will focus on increasing the capacity of the container terminal, improving yard space, acquiring larger ship and yard cranes, constructing dedicated export infrastructure for corn and rice, building silos for grain storage, establishing automated conveyors, as well as exploring investments in rail freight.
“For transit purposes as well,” Khan added, “we are planning to invest in our own locomotives and rolling stock to enhance the supply chain efficiency.”
The Iran conflict has provided Pakistan with a unique opportunity to become a transshipment hub, moving cargo through Karachi until maritime routes were disrupted. This project is expected to allow the port to accommodate bulk vessels up to 120,000 metric tonnes and improve handling times significantly.
Additionally, KGTL is upgrading its bulk terminal to reduce handling time for a 60,000-tonne vessel from 12-15 days down to approximately 2.5-3 days, as well as constructing silos with an annual capacity of 8.5 million tonnes for securing national food security and building bulk-export warehouses.
Source: Original report
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