KARACHI, April 30: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that with the induction of a dredger and two barges by the Karachi Port in its flotilla, the country would be able to improve its logistics.

The port would now be able to maintain draft of the channel as berths would remain operative throughout the year, and larger vessels could be accommodated,” the prime minister said while talking to newsmen after the commissioning of backhoe dredger Ali and hopper barges Ahad and Ahsan.

The prime minister said that the enhancement in the capacity of dredging is part of a national trade corridor programme under which cost-cuts were being made to make trade and commerce activities more competitive and viable.

He said a large number of development projects were currently under way and many more would be taken up to ensure progress and prosperity in the country.

The commissioning ceremony was held on-board dredger Ali where minister for ports and shipping Babar Khan Ghauri, minister for information Mohammad Ali Durrani, Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and KPT chairman vice admiral Ahmad Hayat were also present.

A brief presentation about the Port Tower project which is going to be one of the tallest buildings of the world, having 79 stories, was also made to the prime minister by the foreign consultants. The project is expected to be ready at the end of 2010.

Shaukat Aziz said that the deep draft container terminal being constructed by the KPT at Keamari would enable large-size mother ships to call at the port and help meet the economies of scale by reducing freight cost.

Presently, he said the post-super Panamax vessels go to other countries and only feeder vessels are being accommodated at the country’s ports.

However, with the induction of new dredger Ali and two barges, the cost of dredging would also come down and it would directly help the KPT save expenses and improve upon its profit.

As a result of this, the prime minister said the country’s logistics would also improve and it would also help bring down cost of goods coming and going out of the country.

Responding to a question, the prime minister expressed the hope that the Lal Masjid issue would be amicably resolved, and the PML-Q president Chaudhary Shujjat Husain was negotiating with the clerics.

Referring to Charsadda suicide bombing, Shaukat Aziz said investigations were being made by the relevant authorities and on completion, findings would be made public.

Giving details of the dredger and barges, KPT’s general manager (engineering) Rear Admiral Mushtaq Ahmed said backhoe dredger Ali had been procured from the Netherlands at an estimated cost of 12.074 million euros. It is a self- maneuverable dredger whose excavator is equipped to be fitted with various sizes of bucket and is capable of dredging all kinds of soils.

The dredger maintains its own draft and can move forward in shallow waters. The two hopper barges, he said have been procured from China at a cost of $4.334 million. The barges carry dredged material to the dumping location and work in a cyclic manner to receive dredged material from stationary dredgers.

Mushtaq Ahmed disclosed that the KPT was going to induct another trailer suction dredger by the end of this year and plans to form a dredging company in collaboration with an international company.

The Port Tower was being developed on 10 acres waterfront site, off the Mai Kollachi expressway, and had been designed by an international design team, led by the world’s 4th largest architectural practice, Aedas. Consortium partners MM Pakistan and Mott MacDonald would provide engineering services and architectural support expertise.

The tower would provide world class office space with supporting, residential, conference, performance, retail and restaurant facilities. It will provide maximum levels of security to occupants, residents, customers and visitors.