Malaysia has commenced its upgraded Halal Express Service (HES) for Pakistan with the maiden call of a large vessel at Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT) on Monday. 'The volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Malaysia was recorded at $1.8 billion during last year,' Malaysian Deputy High Commission to Pakistan, Mohammed Khalid Abdul Razak told in a ceremony held at PICT to mark the commencement of HES.
The event was attended by the Managing Director, ISPI Corporation (Pvt) Limited, Kareem Ispahani, former Malaysian Ambassador and politico-industrial tycoon, Zia Ispahani and Captain Mahzan, the master of MV Bunga Raya Dua, which has 12-meter draft and 2500 TEUs onboard.
Commenting on the trade volume of Pakistan, the Chairman, PICT, Captain Haleem A Siddiqui told Business Recorder that global recession had shrunk the trade volume of the country by more than 20 percent. However, Monday's arrival of the ship would usher in a new era at Karachi Port, which under HES would frequently be visited by 14-meter draft's larger vessels of MISC Berhad, the national flag carrier of Malaysia.
Addressing the occasion, MD ISPI Corporation, which is an exclusive agent of MISC Berhad in Pakistan, said his firm, which was the world's top carriers of LNG cargo, would ensure 104 calls annually to Karachi Port.
Highlighting the prominent features of the new service, he said in line with its aim to serve the ever-growing needs of the Pakistani and Gulf consumers, MISC Berhad had upgraded HES by deploying larger vessels and offering wider port coverage with additional direct calls.
Further, MISC would be deploying 6 x 4,250-TEU class vessels, to be among the largest ones calling at Karachi Port, on a 42 days round voyage, he added. The new service, which would cover Far East, South East Asia, Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East, would be operated by MISC independently on the following port rotation: Shanghai/Ningbo/Shekou/Jakarta/Singapore/Port of Tanjung Pelepas/Port Kelang/Karachi/Jebel Ali/Bandar Abbas/Karachi/Nhava Sheva/Colombo/Port Kelang/Singapore/Shanghai.
The new service would be unique by virtue of its 'Double Dip' at Karachi, calling PICT both on the West Bound as well as East Bound voyages, Ispahani added. The HES would also offer the fastest route from Port Kelang to Karachi. With the addition of Jakarta into its new port rotation, MISC would also be the only carrier to have a direct service from Indonesia to Pakistan and the Middle East. 'We have requested the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to rationalise its port tariffs, inline with its regional competitors,' he said.
Looking forward for more co-operation, Malaysia's Deputy High Commission, Mohammed Khalid Abdul Razzak said that the two brotherly countries had been the time-tested friends in good as well as bad times. He said that out of total $1.8 billion bilateral trade between Islamabad and Kuala Lumpur, the former's contribution was $150 million only in terms of exports to his country.
Restricting his speech to a vote of thanks on the occasion, the PICT Chief, Captain Haleem later told Business Recorder that the KPT was committed to ensuring a 14-meter deep channel at Karachi Port, which was striving to accommodate big vessels. Asked about the traders' longstanding complaints on sky-high Terminal Handling Charges (THC) at PICT, Siddiqui said, 'We would certainly charge the traders for the services we provide to them.'
Furthermore, ruling out the possibility of reducing the THC, he said the KPT was considering to slash the 'port dues' to make Karachi Port more attractive for business. The Director and Chief Operating Officer of PICT, Sharique A Siddiqui however said that factors like an indigenous nature of Pakistan's trade, a record handling of 46,500 TEUs at PICT in March, would help Pakistan recover fast.
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