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Karachi port deepens for bigger ships | The Express Tribune

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Karachi port deepens for bigger ships | The Express Tribune



KARACHI:

Karachi Gateway Terminal Limited (KGTL), a joint venture of AD Ports Group and Kaheel Terminals, a UAE-based company, has launched an ambitious dredging programme at the East Wharf of the Port of Karachi. The initiative will deepen berths and navigation channels at KGTL, enabling the terminal to accommodate post-panamax vessels with a capacity of over 13,000 TEUs.

Simultaneously, KGTL’s sister venture, Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose Limited (KGTML), will enhance its bulk handling capability, allowing the accommodation of vessels up to 120,000 tonnes compared to the current 60,000 tonnes.

For Pakistan’s exporters and importers, these upgrades will translate directly into tangible gains. Post-panamax vessels are larger ships that bring economies of scale, reducing per-unit freight costs and optimising foreign exchange expenditure on shipping. In turn, more competitive pricing will strengthen export volumes, particularly for industries such as cement, rice, and fertilisers.

The dredging project, scheduled for completion in early 2026, is also expected to improve operational efficiency. The turnaround time for a 60,000-tonne grain vessel is projected to drop from 12 days to just three, cutting port stays by days and boosting throughput significantly.

The Port of Karachi already handles approximately 60% of the nation’s cargo, underscoring its central role in Pakistan’s import-export activity.

By enhancing its capacity on major shipping lanes, Pakistan can position itself more effectively as a gateway for the “Middle Corridor,” linking Central Asia with global markets.

However, experts caution that infrastructure upgrades alone will not guarantee efficiency unless operational bottlenecks are addressed. Karachi Port has long struggled with congestion, ageing equipment, and fragmented customs procedures. Unless improvements extend beyond the quayside to hinterland connectivity, trucking networks, and rail freight, much of the benefit from dredging could be diluted.

By deepening berths, the port will be better integrated into global shipping routes, strengthening Pakistan’s case as a South Asian maritime hub. Yet, regional competition is intensifying. Ports in India, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East are rapidly modernising, offering digitalised customs clearance, bonded logistics parks, and intermodal connectivity.

For Karachi to keep pace, parallel investments in automation, digital tracking, and customs reforms will be essential. Without these measures, even with deeper berths, shipping lines may favour alternative regional hubs that promise smoother operations and lower transaction costs.

The dredging project is fully funded by AD Ports Group under long-term concessions, 50 years for container handling and 25 years for bulk cargo. The investment signals confidence in Pakistan’s maritime future at a time when foreign direct investment remains volatile. Yet, Pakistan’s broader economic fragility could still cast shadows. Currency fluctuations, high energy costs, and political uncertainty risk undermining the competitiveness the project seeks to bolster.

Large-scale dredging projects also raise environmental and urban planning challenges. Sediment disposal, marine ecosystem disruption, and coastal erosion are concerns requiring careful management.



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Stock Market News Live Updates: Sensex Down Over 1,000 Points, Nifty Below 24,900; India VIX Jumps Nearly 20%

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Stock Market News Live Updates: Sensex Down Over 1,000 Points, Nifty Below 24,900; India VIX Jumps Nearly 20%


Nifty, Sensex Stock Market Today Live Updates: Indian benchmark indices continued their downward trajectory on Monday, tracking weak global cues as geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran escalated.

As of 11:00 AM, the Sensex was trading 1.34 per cent, or 1,086.02 points, lower at 80,201.17, while the Nifty50 declined 1.31 per cent, or 350.55 points, to 24,828.10. Shares of Larsen & Toubro, InterGlobe Aviation and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone were among the biggest laggards in the Nifty 50 index.

Broader market indices also traded in the red, with the Nifty MidCap and Nifty SmallCap indices falling 0.93 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively. Among sectoral indices, the Nifty Auto was the worst performer, sliding more than 2 per cent as shares of Maruti Suzuki India and Mahindra & Mahindra came under pressure.

On the other hand, the Nifty Metal index declined the least, making it the relatively best-performing sectoral index in early trade despite the overall weak market sentiment.

Global Cues

Over the weekend, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials were killed in a joint US-Israel military operation. The conflict appears set to intensify, with US President Donald Trump vowing to retaliate after American servicemen were killed in Iran’s counterattacks, according to agency reports.

Asian markets tumbled in early Monday trade. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi dropped as much as 2.7% and 2.43%, respectively.

On Sunday, US stock futures declined more than 1% after the strikes on Iran. Both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were reported to have fallen 1.11% each.

During the Asia session, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures and S&P 500 futures were down 0.6% and 0.54%, respectively.

In commodities, oil prices surged amid rising concerns over supply disruptions in the key producing region. Brent crude futures jumped 13.76% to $82.37 per barrel — the highest level since January 2025 — according to Bloomberg data.

Gold and silver futures rose more than 1% as investors turned to safe-haven assets.



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Labour parliamentarians urge UK Government to oppose Rosebank oil field

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Labour parliamentarians urge UK Government to oppose Rosebank oil field



Labour MPs are among a group of more than 60 parliamentarians to have made public their opposition to the planned Rosebank oil field – with one of Sir Keir Starmer’s backbenchers urging the Government to rule against the development and take a stand “against Trump, Reform and their fossil fuel paymasters”.

Clive Lewis is one of more than 50 MPs at Westminster who have signed a pledge from campaign group Uplift to “oppose the Rosebank oil field” and instead “advocate for a properly funded just transition for oil and gas workers and communities”.

Urging the Government to reject the development, Norwich South MP Mr Lewis said: “We must stand our ground against Trump, Reform and their fossil fuel paymasters.

“Approving an enormous new oil field would mean caving in to their anti-climate, anti-renewables agenda that runs completely counter to our values and our long-term interests.”

Scottish Labour MP Chris Murray, another of the Labour MPs to have signed the pledge, said the decision on Rosebank was “an opportunity for the Government to change course”.

It comes as the UK Government continues to consider whether the development of the oil field can go ahead – with Labour now under mounting pressure after the loss of the Gorton and Denton by-election to the Greens on Thursday.

Rosebank, which lies about 80 miles west of Shetland, is the UK’s largest untapped field, containing up to an estimated 300 million barrels of oil.

Drilling there was approved by the Conservative government in 2023 but was then subject to a legal challenge in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling which said the emissions created from burning fossil fuels should be considered when granting permission for new sites.

Now the decision on whether it can proceed lies with Labour ministers – with some 16 Labour MPs having made plain their opposition to the development.

The group includes Mr Lewis, Mr Murray, former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Scottish Labour’s Brian Leishman.

Former Labour MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott have also signed the pledge, along with a number of Liberal Democrat and Green MPs, SNP MP Chris Law, Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts and Paul Maskey of Sinn Fein.

In Scotland a number of Labour MSPs have signed the pledge, along with Green MSPs – including the party’s Scottish co-leader Ross Greer – and former SNP health secretary Michael Matheson.

While previous Scottish first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf made plain their opposition to Rosebank, First Minister John Swinney has insisted the Scottish Government takes a “case-by-case approach” to new oil and gas developments, stressing these should only proceed if found to be compatible with climate change targets.

Mr Lewis said opposing Rosebank would “show that a Labour Government will stand by the promises we made to the country”.

He added: “There are only so many times we can afford to make mistakes and then change course.

“With Rosebank, we have an opportunity to get it right the first time.”

Mr Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, said many locals in his constituency were “deeply concerned about Rosebank and rightly so”.

He added: “Climate change is one of the reasons I came into politics, and opening new oil and gas fields is simply incompatible with our climate commitments.

“With the North Sea’s oil supply dwindling, Scotland’s energy sector must transition to clean energy, or workers risk being left behind.”

Scottish Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba, who has also signed the pledge, argued that “approving projects like Rosebank will lock us into a toxic dependence on volatile, conflict-ridden fossil fuels”.

This would create “another excuse to delay the urgent investment needed to create secure, well-paid jobs for Scotland’s workers”, she added.

Ms Villalba said: “In an increasingly uncertain world, where climate action is relegated in favour of fossil politics, the UK and Scotland must lead the way on the clean energy transition.”

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said people in her constituency and across the country “are already facing the consequences of an increasingly unstable climate”.

Highlighting the impact of flooding and “skyrocketing food prices”, she said that “climate impacts are now a daily reality”.

Ms Hobhouse said: “Extreme weather is damaging crops, putting pressure on farmers, and destroying our precious natural environment.

“We cannot ignore these warning signs.

“A massive new oil field like Rosebank would only make matters worse.

“The emissions would be enormous, locking us into decades more pollution when we should be cutting carbon and unlocking the benefits of cheap, renewable energy.”

Approving the Rosebank development would “make a mockery of Labour’s environmental promises”, she said.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “Our priority is to deliver a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations, which drives our clean energy future of energy security, lower bills, and good long-term jobs.”



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UK social media ban for under 16s consultation begins

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UK social media ban for under 16s consultation begins



Discussions over what measures to implement to protect children’s wellbeing will last for three months.



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