Urea Import: ‘Gwadar Port the better option’

KARACHI: The Gwadar Shipping and Clearing Agents Association (GSCAA) has asked the government to transfer urea imports to Gwadar instead of Karachi ports, a move that will quicken offloading and prove more cost effective, says a statement released by the body on Tuesday. Gwadar Shipping and Clearing Agents Association President Abdul Rahim Zafar said that Gwadar Port has the ability to manage ships carrying cargo equivalent to 50,000 tons at a time, whereas Karachi Port Trust can only manage cargo equivalent up to 35,000 tons. GSCAA member Hameed Baloch said that free of cost warehousing facility was being  provided at Gwadar Port prior to its transportation to the mainland. No other port in Pakistan offers this service.’ ‘Due to the heavy traffic of ships at Karachi Port, a hefty amount of demurrage has to be paid by the government in the form of foreign exchange to the ships that have been detained.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2012.