| Port of Karachi | |
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 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Location | Karachi,Pakistan, north shore ofArabian Sea |
| Coordinates | 24°50′06″N66°58′55″E / 24.835°N 66.982°E /24.835; 66.982 |
| UN/LOCODE | PKKHI[1] |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1857 |
| Operated by | Karachi Port Trust |
| Owned by | Ministry of Ports and Shipping,Government of Pakistan |
| Type ofharbour | Natural |
| Size of harbour | 32 km (20 mi) |
| No. ofberths | 41[2] |
| No. ofwharfs | 8 |
| Draft depth | 16.0 m.[2] |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargotonnage | 65.25 millionMetric tons |
| Annualcontainer volume | 1.563 millionTEUs |
| Website www | |
ThePort of Karachi (Urdu:کراچی بندرگاہ,Bandar gāh Karāchī) is one ofSouth Asia's largest and busiest deep-waterseaports, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum) located inKarachi,Pakistan. It is located on theKarachi Harbour, betweenKiamari Azra Langri,Manora, andKakapir, and close toKarachi's main business district and several industrial areas. The geographic position of the port places it in close proximity to major shipping routes such as theStrait of Hormuz. It is also ideally located to offer gateway services to the maritime trade for the Central Asian Republics (CARs).[3] The administration of the port is carried out by theKarachi Port Trust, which was established in 1857.
The history of the port is intertwined with that of the city of Karachi. Several ancient ports have been attributed in the area including "Krokola", "Morontobara" (Woman's Harbour) (mentioned byNearchus),[4]Barbarikon (thePeriplus of the Erythraean Sea,[5] andDebal (a city captured by the Arab generalMuhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE). There is a reference to the early existence of the port of Karachi in the "Umdah", by the Arab navigatorSulaiman al Mahri (AD 1511), who mentions "Ras al Karazi" and "Ras Karashi" while describing a route along the coast fromPasni to Ras Karashi. Karachi is also mentioned in the sixteenth centuryTurkish treatiseMir'ât ül Memâlik by theOttoman captainSeydi Ali Reis, who warns sailors about whirlpools and advises them to seek safety in "Kaurashi" harbour if they found themselves drifting dangerously.
In 1728 heavy rains silted up the harbour atKharak, forcing merchants to relocate to the area of modern Karachi. In 1729, they built a new fortified town calledKolachi (also known asKalachi-jo-Kun andKolachi-jo-Goth) on high ground north of Karachi bay, surrounded by a 16-foot (5 m) high mud and timber-reinforced wall with gun-mounted turrets and two gates. The gate facing the sea was called "Kharadar" (salt gate), and the gate facing the Lyari River[6] was called "Mithadar" (sweet gate). From 1729 to 1783 the strategic location of Kolachi saw the town change hands several times between theKhans ofKalat and the rulers of Sind. In 1783, after two prolonged sieges the town fell to theTalpur Mirs of Sind, who constructedManora Fort mounted with cannons onManora island at the harbour entrance.[7]
The British were concerned about Russian expansion towards theArabian Sea, so in 1839 they occupied Karachi and later the whole of the Sindh. The port served as a landing point for troops during theFirst Afghan War. A number of British companies opened offices and warehouses in Karachi and the population increased rapidly. By 1852, Karachi was an established city with a population of 14,000 and a prosperous overseas trade.
The modern port began to take shape in 1854, when the main navigation channel was dredged and a mole orcauseway was constructed to link the main harbour with the rest of the city. This was followed by construction of Manora breakwater, Keamari Groyne, theNapier Mole Bridge and theNative Jetty Bridge. The construction of the wharves started in 1882, and by 1914 the East Wharf and the Napier Mole Boat Wharf were complete while 1927 and 1944, the West Wharf, the lighterage berths and the ship-repair berths were constructed between 1927 and 1944.
By 1899 Karachi was the largest wheat and cotton exporting port in South Asia. The period between 1856 and 1872 saw a marked increase in trade, especially during theAmerican Civil War when cotton from Sindh replaced American cotton as a raw material in the British textile industry and the opening of theSuez Canal in 1869. Karachi was an important military base during theFirst World War (1914–18) because it was the firstBritish Raj port of call for ships coming through the Suez Canal and was the gateway to Afghanistan and the Russian Empire. Karachi was again a military base and port for supplies to the Russian front during theSecond World War (1939–1945). In 1947, the British left the region and India and Pakistan were formed. In 1974, a bunch of terrorists seized a Greek ship and held the Greek crew for a number of hours. They wanted the Greek government to meet their demands. After this, the hostages were released and the terrorists fled the country.[8]
Karachi Port comprises a deep natural harbour with an 11 kilometers long approach channel that provides safe navigation for vessels up to 75,000 tonnesdeadweight (DWT). Karachi Port has threewharves; East Wharf with seventeen vesselberths, West Wharf with thirteen vessel berths, and South Wharf with four vessel berths.[9] The maximum depth alongside the berths is currently 11.3 metres. Of these two of the wharves extend in opposite directions along the upper harbour – the East Wharf northeast from Keamari Island and the West Wharf southwest from Saddar town. The two wharves each include a container terminal. The containerized cargo operations started in 1973 at the Karachi Port.
Karachi Port has three liquid cargo-handling berths (oil piers) to handle both POL and non POL products. There port also has a dry dock at Manora for quick boat repairs. Repairs for larger ships are offered at theKarachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW).[9] The shipyard carries out shipbuilding and repair for both commercial and military customers on a 29-hectare (70 acres) site at the West Wharf. The facilities include a large shipbuilding hall, three shipbuilding berths, two dry-docks and three foundries.[14]
The flow of cargo to and from the port is hampered by severe congestion in the harbour with several other maritime facilities located close to the port. Adjacent to the West Wharf is the Karachi Fishing Harbour, which is administered separately from the port and is the base for a fleet of several thousand fishing vessels. The West Wharf also hosts a ship repair facility and shipyard and a naval dockyard at the tip of the wharf, while to the south of the port are the KarachiNaval Base and the KiamariBoat Club.
The Port of Karachi also faces competition from a new private terminal located 5 kilometres to the west. In recent years thefederal government has attempted to alleviate the increased congestion by constructing a second port in Karachi thirty kilometres to the east atPort Qasim and a third major port atGwadar, about 650 kilometres west of Karachi.
The Karachi Fishing Harbour has been upgraded recently, and a second fishing harbour built 18 kilometres away atKorangi. The transfer of some naval vessels to the newnaval base at Ormara has reduced congestion further.
Further deepening of the port has been planned by the Karachi Port Trust in order to enhance facilities. The channel is being dredged initially to 13.5 metres deep to cater for 12-metre draught vessels at all tides.Kiamari Groyne, located at the outer tip of the harbour, will be dredged to 16.5 metres to enable vessels up to 300 metres long to dock. Other projects to expand the port include:[15]
On 9 November 2007, the Karachi Port Trust signed a US$1 billion agreement withHutchison Port Holdings to construct a new terminal called the "Pakistan Deep WaterContainer Port", which would begin operations by 2010, and would have ten berths capable of handling Super PostPanamax container ships.[16][17]
Karachi Gateway Terminal (Private) Limited - KGTL, operates under a 50-year concession to operate a container terminal at berths 6-10 on the East Wharf of Karachi Port. KGTL is a joint venture firm ofAD Ports Group as a major investor and Kaheel Terminals.[18]
AD Ports Group will invest $220 million in the upgradation and expansion of the container terminal. Karachi Gateway Terminal plans on achieving a total handling capacity of 1 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent) with investments in machinery and infrastructure.[18]
The current draft depth of berths is 13 meters that KGTL plans to increase to up to 15 meters to cater to larger and deeper vessels. There are also plans to develop a turning basin in collaboration withKarachi Port Trust that would allow vessels of LOA (Length Over All) of about 350 meters.[19]
Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose (Private) Limited - KGTML, operates under a 25-year concession to operate a bulk and general cargo terminal at berths 11-17 on the East Wharf o Karachi Port.[20][21] KGTML is a joint venture of AD Ports Group as a major shareholder and Kaheel Terminals, UAE.
KGTML is scheduled to receive an investment of $100 million from AD Ports Group of which $75 million is expected to be made within the first two years of the concession.[22] The investment will raise operational efficiency to 75% enabling the terminal to handle up to 14 million tons per annum compared to the current cargo handling of 8 million tons. This transactional volume is expected to be achieved within the first five years.[23]
Since 2016, South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT) operates the largest deep sea port of the country. Hutchison Ports Pakistan invested $600m in the first phase of SAPT which included two berths having length of 800 meters.[24]
Hutchison Ports Pakistan is a subsidiary ofHutchison Port Holdings, which in turn is a subsidiary ofCK Hutchison Holdings. On 18 December 2019, Hutchison Ports Pakistan welcomed CV COSCO BELGIUM, the largest container vessel to ever call at any port of Pakistan, with a length of over 366 meters and a capacity of 13,386 TEUs.[25]
In March 2024, TheWorld Economic Forum (WEF) reported that Pakistan has almost tripled its mangrove forests over the last 30 years.[26]
The area around the harbour includes severalmangrove forests which are constantly under threat from human activities. To the east of the port liesChinna Creek, which covers about 6 km² and is dotted with mangrove islands. To the southwest of the port is another much larger mangrove forest in the bay formed by several islands and Manora breakwater; the river Layari flows into this bay, bringing waste from upstream suburbs.[27]
The beach immediately east of the harbour was the scene of a significant oil spillage when the Greek-registeredTasman Spirit ran aground on 28 July 2003.[28] The environmental impact included large numbers of dead fish and turtles and damage to a key mangrove forest, as well as dozens of people suffering nausea.[29]
TheKarachi Dock Labour Board (KDLB) is responsible for labour relations between employees and the Karachi Port Trust. In October 2006, the Pakistan government decided to close down Karachi Dock Labour Board by the end of the year as part of its port strategy and under theNational Trade Corridor (NTC) programme. The closure of KDLB would cost around Rs 4.2 billion ($70 million) to the national exchequer.[30]
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