KARACHI HANDLES RECORD THROUGHPUT

A new record cargo volume of 52.49 million tonnes was handled at Karachi Port during 2016-17, it has been declared. This throughout was almost 5 % higher than in the previous year.

Bulk cargo imports were up by 24%, at 10.05 million tonnes, while container throughput jumped by over 7.7% to hit 2.1 million teu. Loaded container imports rose by 7.1%, while export container volumes were up by almost 8.5%. The number of container ships calling in Karachi were up to 758 during 2016-17, compared to 738 in the previous fiscal year. Around 244 bulk cargo ships called at Karachi Port, against 222 vessels the year before, although oil tanker calls declined to 541 from 559 in 2015-16.