Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) achieved a milestone on Saturday by becoming the first container terminal at Karachi Port to handle one million TEUs in a single year. An official said that the vessel productivity was recorded at 134 moves per hour with a gross crane rate of 22.3 moves per hour on the 5124 TEU APL JAPAN at the time of discharging the landmark one millionth container; another testament of KICT's operational efficiency.
He said that a celebration ceremony was held today to mark the achievement. The chief guest on the occasion was COMKAR Rear Admiral Farrukh Ahmed, Vice Chairman of Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Andy Tsoi, Managing Director - Middle East Asia Division, Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) and Keith Lau, Chief Executive Officer of KICT, along with over 150 guests from KPT, shipping lines, cargo owners and business leaders attended.
Speaking on the occasion, Rear Admiral Farrukh Ahmed said, `It is indeed a great achievement of KICT and I would like to compliment the efforts of KICT team for realizing this milestone. It also reflects on the consistent efforts of the whole ports and shipping sector in terms of putting Pakistan on track of strong, sustainable and viable economic progress. This is what we, at Karachi Port Trust, have aimed as market leaders in the ports and shipping sector'.
In his welcome address, Keith Lau highlighted the organisation's achievements and the factors that contributed to this success. He said, `17 years ago, KICT started its journey of handling 150,000 TEUs a year. Every year we set higher targets as we believe in our ability to surpass any challenges. Our success owes not only to continuous improvement in our operations but to unwavering partnership with KPT, steadfast support from the shipping lines and vendors as well as the dedicated and hardworking team of KICT'.
Commenting on KICT's success, Andy Tsoi said, `As a member of the HPH Group, KICT is always at the forefront of Pakistan's container terminal industry in productivity and efficiency. Having achieved two major milestones this year, the challenge for KICT and Karachi Port is how we position ourselves to serve our customers better in today's dynamic and competitive environment. We should remain focused and determined to take on any challenges in future'. It was pointed out that 2015 has turned out to be a year of remarkable achievement for KICT. Previously, KICT had set the landmark of handling of 10 million TEUs since the start of operations in 1998 for the first time in Pakistan.