Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has inaugurated Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art mechanised, coal, clinker and cement bulk cargo handling terminal, Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Ltd (PIBTL), at Port Qasim, 55km from Karachi.

Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has appreciated Captain Haleem Siddiqui, chairman of Marine Group of Companies, and his team for making the much-needed investment in a sector crucial for national development and added: "It is also all the more heartening to know that PIBTL is also environment friendly", assuring that problem with regard to expansion in railway tracks for transportation of coal from berth to sites of power, cement plants and other users will be addressed without any delay.

Earlier, CEO of PIBTL, Sharique Siddiqui, in his detailed presentation has requested the Prime Minister to advise Pakistan Railway to link it with railway track and said the project completed at an estimated cost of US$285m, this year has already successfully berthed 12 coal ships at the terminal. It has capacity for handling upto 12Mta of coal and 4Mta of cement and clinker, which can together be further enhanced upto 20Mta.

PIBTL, under 30-year built, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement with Port Qasim Authority, has built its own jetty and was equipped with two coal ship unloading cranes and one cement/clinker loading crane, he said.

The dedicated terminal was dredged to 13m deep and was capable of handling ships of up to 65,000t, said Mr Siddiqui. He claimed the terminal could operate more speedily, efficiently and reliably than the coal operation by stevedores at Karachi Port. The terminal jetty, he added, has been built to handle deeper-draught vessels of 15.5m. PIBT will also be able to handle larger vessels once Port Qasim dredges the channel deeper beyond 13m draught.