QUETTA, March 14: The first cargo ship carrying 73,000 tons of wheat from Canada arrived at the Gwadar port on Friday.

The ship was anchored about 18 kilometres offshore because the port cannot yet handle such a heavy ship.

Chairman of the Gwadar Deep Sea Port Admiral Ehsan Saeed said that small vessels would take wheat to Karachi while trucks would transport the grain to areas in Balochistan and Sindh.

After the ship is offloaded, it would be brought to the port.

Balochistan’s caretaker Chief Minister Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani and senior officials visited the vessel.

Sardar Bhootani said that the Gwadar port would make markets in Central Asia globally accessible, besides providing a way to the world for energy resources.

Highlighting commercial prospects of the Gwadar port, Admiral Saeed said that initially it would handle 100,000 containers, 300,000 tons of general cargo and half a million ton of foodgrains.

The caretaker chief minister also presided over a meeting of the board of directors of the Balochistan Coastal Development Authority.

Decisions were taken to make the Balochistan coastline more attractive for tourists.