Trade Chronicle Mar-Apr 2022

TRADE CHRONICLE
KPT organises seminar
on ‘Marine Salvage’
Karachi Port Trust (KPT) organized a
seminar on Marine Salvage covering
legal, operational, safety and
environment aspects at KPT Staff
College, Lalazar, Karachi.
Chairman KPT Nadir Mumtaz Warraich
while speaking on the occasion
highlighted the importance of marine
salvage and said that although
resources are scarce but we as maritime
stakeholders must collectively make
ourselves self sufficient. He said
Gwadar Port to be utilised
for Afghan transit trade
The Pak-Afghan Chamber of
Commerce & Industry (PACCI) and
Gwadar Chamber of Commerce &
Industry (GCCI) agreed to utilise
Gwadar Port for Afghan transit trade.
The chambers also agreed to take
measures for boosting bilateral trade.
A delegation of PACCI and Karachi
business community led by the
chamber’s president President Javed
Barwani and Zubair Motiwala visited
Gwadar. GCCI President Nagman
Abdul and former president of the
chamber Naveed Kalmati were also
present in the meeting.
that it is equally the duty of ports
and stakeholders to get equipped
with sophisticated and ultramodern
gadgets to enable ourselves to handle
all kind of emergency situations.
Chairman KPT appreciated the
support provided by stakeholders in
organizing the seminar which will
eventually bring fruitful results. He said
shipping though contributes to global
prosperity but disasters like grounding,
collision and sinking of vessels impacts
adversely on port business as well on
marine environment.
Earlier KPT General Manager
Operations, Rear Admiral Zubair
Shafique, in his keynote welcome
address termed the seminar as an
excellent opportunity to understand
the severity of such disasters and
their costs. He said that marine
salvage team is an integral part
of sustainable operations which
needs to be established. Perhaps it
is a challenge that we all face today,
he added.
In a meeting held at the office of
Gwadar Development Authority
(GDA), Captain Gul of Gwadar Port
Authority and GDA’s Abdul Razaq
Baloch briefed the delegates about
the utilisation of Gwadar Port and the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC). The business leaders expressed
their interest in promoting trade via
Gwadar Port.
The meeting agreed that in the coming
days PACCI, importers and exporters
from the two countries and Afghan
transit trade would utilise Gwadar Port.
It was decided that steps in this regard
would be taken in consultation with the
concerned authorities so that Gwadar
Port becomes a trade and economic
hub between Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
It was observed that mega
development projects initiated
under CPEC would ensure
Gwadar’s place as the future
economic hub of Pakistan.
In April 2020, as the Covid-19
pandemic spread, Pakistan
had allowed import of bulk
shipments of food items
through Gwadar port for
transit to Afghanistan to help
Kabul maintain food supply.
18
Mar - Apr - 2022
KPT conducts security
drill at harbour
The Port Security Force (PSF) of the
Karachi Port Trust (KPT) conducted
amphibious security drills in the
harbour recently.
According to a press release shared by
the KPT, boats, tugboats and pilot boats
were deployed with PSF personnel on
board to handle any attempt to block
the channel. Recently inducted female
PSF personnel were also part of this
exercise.
Water cannon and splicing of ropes
manoeuvres were also carried out.
PSF and technical personnel manning
the crafts synchronised their response
mechanisms. The KPT said that the
PSF remained vigilant round the clock
to protect the port and its assets.
Pakistani freight train
likely to reach Zahedan
Under tight security provided by the
Pakistan Railways (PR) police, the 10th
Pak-Iran international goods train
carrying a huge quantity of sulfur, salt,
rice and other items has moved from
Peshawar for Zahedan (Iran), making
the freight train operations successful.
Prior to this, nine trains have
successfully completed their trips
from Pakistan to Iran during the last
two months, according to the official
sources.