Ports handle 179,335 MT of cargoes in busy Thursday operations

KARACHI: Amid escalating tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty about peace talks between Iran and the US, Pakistan’s ports (KPT and PQA) saw bustling maritime activity, processing a combined 179,335 Metric Tons of cargoes on Thursday.

According to the details, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) handled 142,182 metric tons of cargo in the last 24 hours, while Port Qasim Authority (PQA) logged 37,153 metric tons across its terminal network, despite the drumbeat of potential escalation.

At Port Qasim, five coal-carrying vessels were either berthed or riding at the outer anchorage Thursday.

Ships including M.V. Mercury Sky, M.V. Eastern Kalmia, M.V. Kobayashi Maru, and M.V. Apiradee Naree collectively carrying over 270,000 metric tons of coal, arriving from Mozambique, Indonesia, and South Africa’s Richards Bay terminal.

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Beyond coal, M.T. Ocean Princess-1 was berthed at the IOCB terminal discharging bitumen, while M.T. Bolan anchored at FOTCO handling 57,300 metric tons of MOGAS (motor gasoline).

The 180-meter M.T. PVT Avira was riding at outer anchorage with 40,000 metric tons of High Sulfur Fuel Oil bound for FOTCO. The tanker P. Aliki is expected to discharge 73,000 metric tons of crude oil at KPT.

A combined 80,622 metric tons of containerized cargos including 45,312 metric tons of imported and 35,310 metric tons of exported cargos were handled at KPT on Thursday.

The port’s South Wharf was active with vessels KMTC Mombasa, TS Keelung, KMTC Chennai, and ESL Mundra, simultaneously, reflecting the country’s central role in the trade corridors with East Africa and South Asia.

On the exports side, cement clinker shipments of 32,912 metric tons were processed, while rice exports of 1,557 metric tons were handled at the East and West wharves.

The vessels including Hosun, Liana, and Kever, were also loading grain at the East and West wharves. The KPT also processed 10,350 metric tons of imported rock phosphate.

At Port Qasim, M.V. Golden Arion was berthed at the FAP terminal with 69,300 metric tons of soyabean seed, a key commodity for edible oil and livestock feed industries.

According to the vessel registry at Port Qasim’s outer anchorage, 13 ships from Liberia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Panama, Malta, and the Marshall Islands, which had arrived from Brazil, Mozambique, Indonesia, the United States, and South Africa, were waiting to be berthed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026