History of Karachi Port Trust

The existence of Karachi Port dates back to eighteenth century when Alexander, the great, ended his campaign along the Punjab Rivers and Indus. His Admiral Nearchus, with his fleet, reached Krokala which is known today as Keamari. Writers like James Rennell (1792) and M. R. Haig (1894) have identified this place in their scripts. Alexander Baillie mentions Arabic Treatise "Mohit" to be used as "Port" for the first time in 1558. The name of Karachi pertains to the year 1742. According to Seth Naomal, the founding of Karachi as a trading center took place in 1729.
The port town of Karachi was then under the administrative control of Khan of Kalat. Due to the strategic importance Mirs of Sindh who were very keen to capture it in 1795, the Sindh Ruler Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur (1795- 1839) occupied this place while realising the importance of port and built a fort at Manora in 1797. It is for the very first time that the trade was carried out in the Talpur period. In the Talpur period, Karachi had a sizeable trade and commerce as Henry Pottinger wrote that the Customs at the port of Karachi yielded Rs 99,000 annually. Charles Mason wrote in 1830 that port had 100 vessels of all kinds. The port of Karachi was totally undeveloped. There were no wharves, no dockyards, no jetties and no other facilities of a modern port. Harbour situated then on the western side of the island of Keamari between the main land of Karachi and Manora. A channel was known as the Chinna Creek. Another channel, which used to flow from Keamari to Customs House Channel was shallow, so small boats were used. Large vessels were unable to enter the harbour because of the rocky/sand bar entrance near Manora. Still in spring tides, vessels of 400 tons, Prince of Wales and other vessels were able to reach harbour safely in 1809. Goods were brought to harbour by small boats (Dundi), bullocks or by coolies. At the end of 1839, there were 28 boats at the port of Karachi and tonnage range was from 50 to 150 each. Karachi Port served as the principle channel for the sea borne trade of vast hinterland. There was only one competitor port of Sonmiani on the Makran Coast.
After the conquest of Sindh in 1843, the next seventeen years were utilised to make Karachi a commercial cum trade hub. Sir Charles Napier floated the idea of Karachi as a free port. He brought several improvements like widening the entrance of harbour construction of Docks to connect the Keamari with the town of Karachi through mole to build timber pier. He initiated all these developments. The only work was carried out in his time was installation of light house at Manora. 1044 vessels reached Karachi Port. In 1854 the mole connecting the town was completed and was named Napier Mole. After survey of Harbour, a prominent harbour engineer Mr Walker proposed the construction of Breakwater, Keamari Groyne, Native Jetty and also suggested the stoppage of Chinna Creek as well as construction of Bridge over Napier Mole. In 1859 to 1860, these proposals were approved and work commenced, which gave initial shape to the port. In the late British period, due to the Civil War in United States of America, Cotton export affected badly. This caused a boom in export from Karachi Port. In 1862 till 1865, as the opening of Suez Canal, Karachi Port came nearer to Europe and flourished rapidly. The construction of Keamari was completed in 1863. The East Pier was constructed between April 1864 and November 1865. The Harbour was protected by the construction of Keamari Groyne in 1863. The construction of Manora Breakwater started in 1870 and completed after 4 years. Merewether Pier was constructed and Erskin and James wharves with three berths each completed respectively in 1888 and 1895. To earryout the port's improvement and to increase traffic to handle all this, a separate body was formed and the idea of setting up a Port Trust was initiated but according to the views of the Committee, port cannot be set up until sufficient development work was not done. The development works were executed by Kurrachee Harbour Works Engineer (KHWE). It was headed by Chief Engineer, KHWE. On 10th March 1880, government appointed Karachi Harbour Board by a notification.
In 1886, the Karachi Port Trust was passed by Bombay Legislative Council and under this Act; KPT was set up in 1887. The Collector Karachi was the Ex-officio Chairman of the Trust. Since then the port administration has embarked on an extensive development of the port on modern lines.
Pre-partition History:
The dawn of the new century and the addition of three new berths earned Karachi the status of international port. Demand required more berths and then four more were added between 1908 and 1910. By the end of that year Karachi Port boasted to 17 berths in one continuous line extending more than 2.5 kilometres, served with railway sidings and equipped with hydraulic floating cranes. At the same time, maintenance and refurbishment of the older wharves was carried out as was dredging by the bucket dredger "William Price" newly acquired to deal with the problem of siltation.
With the development of the North Western Railways, Karachi Port became an established gateway for the agricultural produce of the country. Whereas in 1895, the total sea-borne trade was worth 156.8 million rupees and by 1900 wheat exports alone were 60% per annum that rose to 80% in 1901. With a draft of 8.2.metres at the lowest tide, passenger and cargo shipping lines were now plying regularly from Britain and Europe.
New fixtures like the first bulk oil jetty was built in 1909 linked with storage tanks of oil companies through separate pipelines. The same year a major reclamation project was launched to reclaim the 70 hectares which became Thole Produce Yard, 25 hectares which became Mansfield Import Yard and 45 hectares between Keamari and Chinna Creek.
That same year the powerful new light on Manora Light House was installed flashing warning signs upto 30 kilometres in clear visibility. In 1910 a new railway bridge across Chinna Creek further facilitated the swift passage of goods to and from the port. By 1914 any vessel capable of passing through the Suez Canal could berth at Karachi Port, though dredging had to be carried out regularly to deal with the burden of silt. The port was now recognisable as the one we see today; a long way had been travelled from the landing stage where passengers had to wait ashore and cargo ferried to land by small craft.
During the First World War, 1914 - 1918, Karachi Port, by virtue of its strategic location, was called upon to play a significant role and by now it was fully equipped to deal with the logistics of moving ammunition, equipment and troops. The magnificent Head Office building had been started in 1912, in the Renaissance style. By 1915 this beautiful building with its impressive dome, curved exterior and airy loggies and staircases was completed. It was immediately requisitioned as a Military Hospital and it served as till the end of the world war. This service to humanity by the Karachi Port Trust set a precedent for a tradition of social service by the Organisation and over the years many civic projects offered to the City that stand testimony to this largesse.
Brief Profile of Mr George Wittet (Scotish Architect of KPT Head Office Building)
George Wittet was born in Blair Atholl, Scotland in 1878. He studied architecture with a Mr Heiton of Perth, Scotland, and worked in Edinburgh and York before moving to India.
Wittet arrived in India in 1904 and became an assistant to John Begg, then Consulting Architect to Bombay. The two men were responsible for the evolution and subsequent popularity of the Indo-Saracenic Style of architecture.
On 12 May 1917, Wittet, then Consulting Architect to the Government of Bombay, was unanimously elected as the first President of The Indian Institute of Architects.
Wittet designed some of Bombay's best known landmarks: the Prince of Wales Museum, the Gateway of India, the Institute of Science, the Small Causes Court at Dhobitalao, the Wadia Maternity Hospital, Bombay House, the King Edward Memorial Hospital, and The Grand Hotel and other buildings at the Ballard Estate, by the Bombay Docks.
In Karachi, he designed the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) building.
With John Begg he developed and popularised the Indo-Saracenic style in architecture.
He died of acute dysentery in Bombay in 1926, and is buried in the Sewri cemetery.