KARACHI: Port Qasim Authority (PQA) is moving forward with plans to build a new multipurpose cargo terminal at Port Qasim, seeking a private partner to design, finance, build, operate, maintain and eventually transfer the facility under a build-operate-transfer, or BOT, arrangement.
The project is intended to expand the port’s handling capacity and modernize its break bulk and general cargo operations, which officials say have been strained by rising trade volumes in recent years.
Growing Trade Volumes Drive Expansion
Cargo throughput at Port Qasim has climbed steadily, a trend PQA attributes to the conversion of marginal wharves into dedicated terminals, the port’s strategic location, its rail and road connections to the interior, and a round-the-clock operating model.
That growth, however, has also exposed limitations at the port’s two existing marginal wharves, which lack comprehensive mechanization and have restricted depth at their berthing areas. Officials say those constraints have created demand for a modern terminal capable of more efficiently handling break bulk and general cargo.
PQA said mechanized cargo handling has become essential to keep pace with national and international standards. A dedicated multipurpose terminal equipped with modern handling equipment and able to accommodate larger vessels is described as critical to meeting rising demand for bulk materials handling, while reducing reliance on shipboard gear for cargo operations.
The authority also pointed to a recent four-kilometer extension of the port’s navigational channel, along with nearby industrial zones, as factors opening new opportunities for development. PQA said new multipurpose cargo berths, developed in line with its business plan and landlord port model, would help relieve congestion at marginal wharves 1 and 2 while addressing future capacity needs. The new terminal is also expected to support environmental sustainability goals as part of the port’s broader corporate responsibility efforts.
Project Goals
PQA outlined a series of objectives for the development, including increasing the handling capacity and operational efficiency of the terminal, strengthening Port Qasim’s competitive standing among regional ports, and promoting trade growth through the facility. The authority also cited goals of maintaining its own financial stability, generating revenue, contributing to Pakistan’s broader economic growth, creating jobs, and building new partnerships to support continued development at the port.
Terminal Design and Specifications
PQA envisions implementing the project on a BOT basis, with a private concessionaire operating the terminal for thirty years.
The planned Multipurpose Cargo Terminal will have a quay length of approximately six hundred twenty meters and a backup area of about sixty acres. The facility is designed to handle vessels of increasing size in two phases, beginning with fifty thousand deadweight-ton vessels drawing twelve meters in the first phase and expanding to seventy-five thousand deadweight-ton vessels drawing fourteen meters in the second.
That expansion will require corresponding upgrades to the navigational channel. The channel currently measures one hundred fifty meters wide and twelve point five meters deep. Under the project’s second phase, PQA plans to widen the channel to two hundred fifty meters and deepen it to fifteen point five meters to accommodate vessels up to seventy-five thousand deadweight tons.
Cargo handling equipment for the terminal will be selected based on the specific types of cargo to be managed, with officials saying all equipment will be fit for purpose and meet required operational standards.
National Engineering Services Pakistan, known as NESPAK, has provided technical services for the project, including preparation of the master plan and related technical documentation, studies and design reviews. The terminal’s conceptual layout and basic design parameters were developed with PQA’s commercial operations and national economic growth objectives in mind.
Port Qasim’s Role in National Trade
Port Qasim operates as Pakistan’s principal industrial and commercial port under the landlord port model, established pursuant to the Port Qasim Authority Act of 1973. The port currently handles more than forty percent of the country’s seaborne trade.
PQA’s operations span twelve port terminals comprising fifteen berths, most developed and run through private sector participation under build-operate-transfer and build-own-operate arrangements governed by implementation agreements. The authority directly operates two additional berths itself.
Port Qasim offers a range of shore-based facilities to shipping lines and other stakeholders, including maintained water depth in its navigational channel and berthing areas, equipped berths and terminals, cargo handling equipment, and warehousing and storage space. The port also maintains safety and security measures for vessel transit around the clock.
