Soybean vessel not yet shifted to Port Qasim

According to sources, the vessel captain objected to the sudden shifting of his vehicle

KARACHI: A vessel carrying a soybean shipment has not yet been moved from the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to Port Qasim due to a balancing issue highlighted by its captain on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the port authorities had said that the Hercules cargo ship would be shifted to Port Qasim after the government was advised by experts to consider exposure to soybean dust as a cause for the tragedy in Keamari earlier this week.

According to sources, the vessel captain had objected to the sudden shifting of his vehicle, saying that the unequal weight balance could cause damage to the port's infrastructure or other shipments.

KPT officials said that workers had started shifting shipments on the vessel so that it could move smoothly.

Meanwhile, Karachi Harbour and Dock Workers Union will protest the shifting of the vessel to Port Qasim. Union leaders stated that the authorities wanted to shift all ships carrying soybean to Port Qasim, as well as other vessels, which would leave the KPT workers in difficulty.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2020.