KARACHI, May 12: The Karachi port handled a record number of one million boxes during the first 10 months (July to April) of the current fiscal, showing that 96,231 more containers were handled over the corresponding period of last year when 903,834 teu (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) were handled.

According to official figures, the port handled 513,424 teu of import cargo and 486,641 teu of export cargo.

The port authorities expect to cross last year’s record handling of 1.14 million boxes by achieving a target of around 1.18 million containers by the close of current fiscal on June 30, 2008.

The major factor which increased cargo handling, port sources said, had been a sudden increase in export of rice, cement and scrap through containers.