Gwadar: Chairman Gwadar Port Authority Naseer Khan Kashani has said that Gwadar Port is unique from other ports of the world due to its location. In the future, this port will prove to be a game-changer. There are 50 ships anchored annually that carry a variety of metric tons of cargo, but this needs to be further expanded. He expressed these views in an exclusive interview with a representative of theazb.com, which was part of a delegation of journalists from Karachi to Gwadar led by Mahmood Ahmed Khan CEO of Star Marketing Expo.
Talking in detail about the features of Gwadar Port, Chairman Gwadar Port Authority Naseer Khan Kashani said that this port became operational in 2008, and from 2007 to 2012 this port was given to Singapore Port Authority on Concession Agreement and they were operating it. All the matters regarding the port were handed over to China Overseas Port Holding Company and they started the work. After 7th March 2018, cargo ships started arriving at Gwadar Port on regular basis i.e. the port has been operational for the last three years. After which State Cargo, Transit Trade, General Cargo as well as LPG ships started arriving but still, our operational capacity is limited which needs to be increased, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs has done a lot in the last two years.
Yes, a lot of work has been done on the regulatory framework due to which the facilities that we did not withhold concessions were given by the government of Pakistan through the Federal Minister Ali Haider Zaidi and the legal complications in the regulatory framework. They are gone but unfortunately for the last year due to Coronavirus all over the world all matters remained suspended and remittances were also cut off which affected Gwadar Port but in spite of this we handled LPG and transit cargo ships at Gwadar Port proves that operationalism has remained in place. Trying to bring investors into the free zone, obviously, the industry will run if demand increases then the business will run.
Responding to a question from a representative of Gwadar Port, Naseer Khan Kashani said that at present there are 43 Cargo Handling Companies registered at Gwadar Port, and 50 ships are anchored annually carrying various metric tons of cargo but it needs to be further enhanced. But if the Expressway and M8 are completed, the work will also speed up.
There are a lot of things that are being considered, such as road widening, railway tracks, storage, logistics, etc., ongoing work is fast. At present we have three berths on which two ships of 50,000 metric tons can anchor. At Gwadar Port, we have a capacity of more than 100 berths. At present 90% of the people working at Gwadar Port are locals.
He said that Pakistan-China Vocational Training Institute is currently under construction which will be completed in December 2021. The training center will provide training to the local youth. He said that Afghan transit had started from 2020 and this year also his ships came which other countries of Central Asia have also expressed their desire. We are trying to make a terminal for each country separately.
He said that there are four things that make Gwadar Port different from other ports in the world. One is the location of Gwadar Port, the other is its natural depth and the third is its excise channel which is 4.7 Km and finally, the capacity of more than 100 berths are the things that distinguish the importance and features of this port in the region.
