KARACHI: Growing traffic of ships, particularly vessels loaded with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), warranted the need for an additional channel which the authority is now planning to develop, Port Qasim Authority Chairman Agha Jan Akhtar said on Tuesday.

As a safety measure, currently PQA stops general movement of all ships when a vessel loaded with LNG arrives or leaves the port, causing delays, he said.

At present, a vessel loaded with LNG calls at the port every five days and after the operation of another LNG terminal by the end of this year, this cycle could be reduced to every third day, he added.

So far 109 LNG vessels have called at the port and the traffic would increase after the opening of another terminal by end of the year.

Responding to a question, chairman PQA said four more LNG terminals are in pipeline. Presently around 16 terminals are operating at the port.

In order to meet the needs of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Pakistan Railways is also laying down a dual rail track from Port Qasim up to Pipri along with a road network, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2017