KARACHI: The vessels carrying imported wheat are facing delay in berthing up to 16 days due to congestion at Karachi Port and Port Qasim, market sources said.

On the other hand, Gwadar Port is not being utilized to import wheat on less discharging cost at this time of urgency, they added.

According to details, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has assigned Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to procure and import approximately 1.5 million tons of wheat. This was in light of the urgent need of wheat in the country.

Since October 2020 vessels carrying wheat of TCP have started arriving at Pakistan. All the vessels that have reached Pakistan have had to face congestion at Karachi Port and Port Qasim. The delay in berthing has been from 7 days to 16 days.

The country is in need of urgent wheat whereas the vessels carrying this cargo of utmost urgency are delayed at Pakistani ports, sources told Business Recorder.

In this scenario Gwadar Port is being totally neglected, the said adding that the berths of Gwadar Port remain vacant whereas wheat vessels are waiting in line at Karachi Port and Port Qasim.

It would be worth mentioning here that Gwadar Port in the past, 2009 to 2016 handled millions of tons of cargo for the Government of Pakistan, thereby relieving the congestion at Karachi Port and Port Qasim.

It is strange that at this time of urgency Gwadar Port is not being utilized. Gwadar Port is part of the CPEC initiative and can play an important role right now for Pakistan to cater to the urgent need of the country for wheat.

Gwadar International Terminals Limited, the concession holder for Gwadar Port, has been in constant touch with TCP since August 2020 for handling of wheat vessels, sources said. To date TCP has not responded to any communication, they added.

It is also important to note that the cost of discharging vessels at Gwadar Port is lower than Karachi Port and Port Qasim.

The experts suggested that Gwadar Port should be utilized immediately. All the vessels waiting at Karachi Port and Port Qasim can be diverted to Gwadar Port, where these vessels will get berths immediately on priority basis, they said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021