Ports and Their Importance for Pakistan

https://www.maritimestudyforum.org/ports-and-their-importance-for-pakistan/

An overview of Pakistan’s ports and harbours gives an insight about

how far the country is from reaching its full maritime potential.
A port is a maritime facility comprising wharves where ships are docked for
cargo loading/unloading and disembarking of passengers. Ports are situated on
coastlines and have close connectivity with the sea. There are different types of
ports including cruise ship ports for passenger ships, dry ports connected by
road or rail, fishing ports and inland ports linked to river or canal. A port is
different than a harbor in such a way that harbors are mooring places for safe
anchorage of ships and other waterborne vessels, whereas ports are completely
different commercial water facilities comprising warehouses, docks and cranes
that connect land to the sea for cargo handling and passengers’ transportation.
Ports are vital transportation hubs that provide facilities for the movement of
goods from local markets to worldwide markets.

Ports are considered vital for supporting the economic life of any country. Ports
do not only serve the purpose of cargo handling but also bring about local
economic well-being. Economy of a country relies heavily on seamless trade and
cargo facilitated through ports which serve as gateways for domestic and
international trade. Countries which have developed and modernized ports such
as Singapore and Dubai are enjoying better trade and transportation systems in
terms of more economic dividends. Moreover, industrial development is closely
tied with ports as industries need a cheap and safe means for exporting finished
goods to and importing raw material from the desired destination. Here comes
the role of ports which augment economic activities being carried out at land by
expanding the volume of international trade and connecting different economies
via sea. Besides, ports also create job opportunities for local people and
supplement infrastructure development in the vicinity that also add up to more
job and business opportunities. Therefore, ports have an important role to play
in a nation’s economic growth.
Pakistan is blessed with the 1046 kilometer coastline along the Arabian Sea.
The coastline is divided into Makran Coast spreading over 800 kilometers and
Sindh Coast extending up to 246 kilometers. Pakistan, so far, has developed
three big ports namely Karachi port, Gwadar port and Muhammad Bin Qasim
port. Muhammad Bin Qasim port or Port Qasim is one of the oldest ports of
Pakistan whereas Karachi port is the busiest among all. Gwadar port with
significant geostrategic location has been lately developed by Pakistan in
collaboration with China. Gwadar port is one of the deepest sea ports in the
world and can accommodate up to a sixteen meter deep cargo ship. Pakistan’s
geography is strategically significant given its connectivity with different regions
including Western China, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republicans such as
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Hence, all the above
mentioned ports hold strategic importance for the country. These ports have
their own administrative units. However, Ministry of Maritime Affairs being the
central administrative authority is mandated to facilitate and administer the
development of port and the shipping industry of Pakistan. When it comes to
the admiralty jurisdiction, these ports fall under the jurisdiction of Sindh and
Baluchistan High Courts by virtue of the Admiralty Jurisdiction of High Court
Ordinance, 1980.

Karachi Port
Karachi port is one of the largest ports in South Asia and the busiest port of
Pakistan. This port is considered to be an economic hub of Pakistan dealing
around sixty percent of the nation’s cargo. Karachi Port is a deep natural port
with an 11.5 km-long navigable channel and a 12.2 meter-deep approach
channel. The port has 30 dry cargo and 3 liquid cargo handling berths including
a privately operated modern container terminal – the Karachi International
Container Terminal (KICT). The port is handling about 26 million tons of cargo
per annum which includes 14 million tons of liquid and 12 million tons of dry
cargo. Presently about 1600 ships are visiting Karachi Port annually and the
berth occupancy is about 45%, which shows that there is enough capacity in the
port to handle more cargo.
Gwadar Port
Gwadar port is the most discussed port among policy makers, media and
academia in recent times. This is the deepest sea port of Pakistan and lies at
the distance of 400 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz and 120 kilometers
from Iran’s border. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the primary channels in the
world for global trade and oil supply. Thus being strategically important for both
China and Pakistan, Gwadar port is undergoing rapid development as part of the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Port Qasim
Port Qasim is the second busiest and deepest sea port of Pakistan. The Port is
situated in the Indus delta region at a distance of 28 nautical miles in the south-
east of Karachi. It has a 49 km long navigational channel and currently handles
more than 40% of seaborne trade of the country. With a cargo handling
capacity of about 17 million tons annually, it is the second busiest port of
Pakistan. Large vessels having 13 meter draught and 347 meter length are
handled at this port.Other than major ports, Pakistan also has some smaller
ports which are discussed below:

Keti Bander Port

Keti Bander port is located in the Thata district of Sindh. This port is around 150
kilometers away from Karachi and is yet to be developed into a major port
under the Pakistan China Economic Corridor project. Keti Bander once a vast
area of crops including banana, rice, and betel leaf is facing decreased water
level in the Indus River and thus the residents are completely dependent on
fishing for living.

Ormara Port
Ormara port is located on Makran coastline in Baluchistan. This port is also
considered strategically important as one of the most strategically important
naval bases of Pakistan – Jinnah naval base – is located there. This port is also
considered rich for fishing and has also been linked with the China Pakistan
Economic Corridor through the coastal highway of Makran.
Pasni Port
Pasni port is also located along the coastline of Makran in Baluchistan at a
distance of around 300 kilometers away from Karachi. This port is also under
development following the decision of the Pakistan government to augment
cargo activities there by connecting it with China Pakistan Economic Corridor to
make it fully commercial. Pasni has a fully operational airfield which is used by
Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy and Civil Aviation.

Jiwani Port
This port is strategically very important as it adjoins the delivery lanes from and
to the Persian Gulf. Owing to its strategic location, this town hosts an airport
which has a 5600-foot runway and a small naval base.

Pakistan’s maritime sector has been neglected since the creation of Pakistan.
Therefore, maritime facilities like ports are not fully developed to support the
ongoing economic activities in Pakistan. In fact, lack of maritime focus is further
thwarting the country from tapping its true maritime economic potential. These
ports are not adequately functional to serve the primary maritime interest of
Pakistan. Therefore, the government of Pakistan must take required steps to
modernize and develop these ports for proper utilization of their true strategic
and commercial potential.