Shipping activity at Port Qasim, which was suspended on Monday for shortage of tugs, came to normal on Tuesday after the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) made elaborate tugging arrangements to resume normal sailing and berthing operations.
As a result of withdrawal of its tug, Sohrab, by the Karachi Port Trust, shipping activity had come to almost to a halt when all the six vessels except one waiting at the outer anchorage could not be pulled to the berths due to lack of tugs.
The shipping activity rostrum, issued by the PQA on Tuesday, showed as many as six ship movements, including four berthing and two sailing.
The berthing had been planned for Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT), Fotco, Engro Vopak Chemical Terminal (EVCTL) and Marginal Wharf-1.
A source at the operation maintenance department said that the two tugs, Kidaro and Chara, were fully operational since Tuesday morning and performing normal tugging activity.
A PQA source confirmed that the ship movements were performed with the help of its own tugs. However, serious efforts are under way to arrange a third tug so that in case of failure of any existing tug, the shipping activity may not suffer.