Port Of Karachi News

Pakistani port authorities plan to remove fuel from a merchant ship that ran aground in rough seas last week before making a salvage attempt in the middle of next month, an official said on Monday.Panama registered M.V. Heng Tong 77 was anchored in Pakistan's territorial waters off Karachi for a crew change on July 21 when it lost anchors due to rough seas and drifted towards the shore, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) said."By the time the vessel informed KPT of her drifting, it was already in shallow waters," the port authority said in a tweet.

Authorities are working to retrieve more than 20 containers that fell into the water at Pakistan's southern port of Karachi on Monday following a collision between two containerships. Video footage posted on social media shows the Hapag-Lloyd containership MV Tolten side-swipe the moored containership MV Hamburg Bay while moving into its berth at South Asia Pakistan Terminal. Maritime security vessels were arriving on scene to assess damage and respond to the casualty, according to local reports.

Major Qatari shipping conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) is launching a direct service between Qatar and Karachi in Pakistan, the company said on Sunday, as it seeks to counter economic sanctions against Doha by other Arab States. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and transport links with Doha on June 5, ending the use of Dubai's Jebel Ali port as a trans-shipment centre for goods flowing to and from Qatar. As a result, imports into Qatar plunged by more than a third from year-earlier levels in June and July…

BW Group (BW) has signed a 15-year agreement with Pakistan GasPort Limited (PGPL) to provide LNG regasification services utilizing a new-build Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) for the second Pakistan LNG terminal. BW’s state-of-the-art FSRU, Hull No. 2118 and currently at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in Korea, will be utilized for this project. To be delivered in 4Q2016, the vessel offers a low environmental footprint, high efficiency, storage capacity in excess of 170,000m3 and a peak regasification capacity of 750mmscfd. “We are proud to be selected as the FSRU supplier for the Pakistan project,” says Yngvil Åsheim, Managing Director of BW LNG.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pledged up to $500 million to develop the southern Iran port of Chabahar, in a move to give his country trade access to Iran, Afghanistan and central Asia. The route is currently all-but blocked by Pakistan, long at odds politically with India. The deal, which runs in conjunction with the development of road and rail links through Iran to Afghanistan, also represented a strategic victory for India over China, which has been competing to develop the port. Modi signed the development deal on the first visit by an Indian leader to Iran in 15 years. He was joined by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani.

India will on Monday sign a commercial contract with Iran to build and run a strategic port on Iran's southern coast, the Indian government said on Friday, to help it gain a foothold in Iran and win access to central Asia and Afghanistan. Talks to build the Chabahar port have been on for years but since the scaling back of Western sanctions against Iran, India has pushed hard for the project so it doesn't lose out to other such as China, who are keen to invest. The deal under which India will develop two terminals and cargo berths at Chabahar, on the Gulf of Oman, will be signed during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran beginning on Sunday.

Nor-Shipping announced the nominees for the 2013 Nor-Shipping Awards which recognize achievements in three different areas – energy efficiency, innovative ship design and young entrepreneurship. HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will present the awards when they are announced at the Opening Conference on June 4. The Energy Efficiency Award (previously Clean Ship Award) pays tribute to the ship with the greatest contribution towards energy efficiency in relation to its function or operation.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has signed its first contract with Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to supply cleaning chemicals during 2011 – 2012, demonstrating an ongoing growth for WSS within what is an increasingly important region to the company. The port of Karachi comprises a deep natural harbor with an 11 km long approach channel, designed to provide safe navigation for vessels up to 75,000 metric tons deadweight. The first order is for de-scaling liquid for the fleet of dredgers operating in the KPT dry dock. Annually, KPT uses approximately 8000 liters of this product. “We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with KPT,” comments Moloy Das, Area Sales Manager for Wilhelmsen Ships Service in the sub-continent.

Vice President Dick Cheney spoke to approximately 3,200 Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 Sailors, Marines and family members on May 23. While aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), where the event was hosted, Cheney thanked the ESG 1 service members for their hard work in supporting the war on terror and providing humanitarian aid to Pakistan after an October 2005 earthquake there killed more than 70,000 people. "This operation would not have been possible without the effort of ESG 1," said Cheney. Rear Adm. Michael LeFever, commander, ESG 1, said that helping out those in need in Pakistan was different because it was a non-combatant role, but it was a wonderful experience for him and the ESG 1 crew. "It was really a great opportunity to help out.