After Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has also embarked upon the herculean task to dock a huge container vessel of 270 to 295-meter length and 13-meter draft, safely at Karachi Port by the end of this month.
According to reliable sources the mammoth ship, which is destined for a newly constructed berth of Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), would arrive in Pakistani territorial waters most probably by April 30. Last month the issue of safe docking of a huge vessel, M/v POS Glory, of 76,508dwt and 14-meter draft, carrying at least 72,700-metric-tons of wheat at the newly constructed Gwadar Port, had called for great apprehensions from the media and ports and shipping experts.
The PSA, Gwadar Port operator, had to resort to lighterage to ensure safe-wharfage of the 225-meter long ship. The KPT, Karachi Port's operator, would also have to take the challenge seriously, as according to sources size of the said vessel would be far bigger than the one handled at Gwadar Port in March.
"Though it is not final yet, the sizes we have received are different- they are 270-meter, 285 and 295-meter," they added. The ship would have a capacity of carrying 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), sources added. The KPT is reportedly busy in round-the-clock dredging to deepen its channel at KICT to at least 13-meter from the existing 10.5 meter to accommodate the big vessel, name and arrival schedule of which has not been declared yet. "Final report on name and arrival schedule of the ship would be announce within next eight to ten days," said the sources.
They said the KICT wanted the ship to arrive till April 30 but it was likely to go beyond that, as carrying out dredging in navigational channel was a time-consuming activity and not an easy task. The mammoth ship is likely to have a South Korean flag and would belong to Hyundai Merchant Marine Co Ltd, sources said.
A KICT official confirming the news said the vessel would be easily berthed with the help of tide. "We already have 13-meter draft at alongside while the channel would be dredged to 12-meter... the remaining 1-meter would be achieved with the help of tide," added the official. He said the vessel would be carrying 3,500-TEUs at the time of wharfage at Karachi Port. Sources in KPT though confirmed a war footing based dredging in the channel but they avoided to give further details.