KARACHI, Sept 23: The chairman, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Vice Admiral Ahmad Hayat, has said that ports are being modernized and geared up to cope with increased shipping traffic expected during free trade era.

He said that textiles which are mainstay of country’s exports are likely to make a leap jump in volume in the quota-free regime starting from January 1, 2005.

The KPT chairman was speaking as chief guest at a dinner hosted by Asim Saeed, chairman of GML Group of Companies for Peter Herling and vice president of Shipco Transport, a leading US shipping company, at a local hotel late Monday evening.

He said that the quota-free phase would provide an immense opportunity to the local textile sector to increase their shipments to Europe and USA and more shipping lines would start their service to Pakistan.

Growth is expected in shipping traffic due to the Gwadar Port, which would open the land-locked Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics to the world.

The KPT chief said that a massive plan was underway to modernize the Karachi Port and computerization of all port procedures has been completed. However, he admitted that ports are normally hostage to local environments.

He further said that the Karachi Port had privatized cargo handling at West Wharf where a modern terminal had been functioning and another terminal would start operating at the East Wharf by the year end thus completing the privatization of cargo handling.

He acknowledged that the private sector was dynamic and had greater potential and initiative but quickly said that the public sector had also these qualities but they were bound by some inherent constraints due to bureaucracy.

The Karachi port is rebuilding one of its oil pier to handle vessels up to 90,000 dead weight tons. Napier Mole Bridge is also being reconstructed to receive smaller vessels, he added.

He said that the length of the channel was being extended to 12.5 km and it would be dredged to allow an admissible draught of 13.5 metres. This would help the port to receive larger vessels.