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COMPANY PROFILE - KARACHI INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER TERMINAL(Pakistan & Gulf Economist Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) is located west of the Indus Delta in the natural deep-water harbor of the century old Port of Karachi. Subsequent to the signing of the concession agreement by the international project sponsors with Karachi Port Trust (KPT) in June 1996, KICT was formed as the Terminal Operating Company with the object of setting up a common user dedicated international container terminal at Karachi Port on the existing berths 28 to 30 at West Wharf on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. The terminal has since been expanded to berth nos. 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. KICT, the first and largest international container terminal operator at Karachi Port, commenced commercial operations in November 1998, and has since been "Pakistan's leading container terminal operator", both in terms of productivity and efficiency. KICT is also the first container terminal operator in Pakistan to gain compliance with the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code and receive ISO 9001:2000 certification. As a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, KICT enjoys the support and expertise of the world's leading port investor, developer and operator to help transform KICT into a major container handling facility, capable of receiving the region's increasing container trade. As an organization that actively invests in the development of modern port infrastructure, HPH is committed to playing a significant role in the development of the economies and the expansion of international trade opportunities for the countries in which it operates. Today HPH, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL), operates 306 berths in 50 ports, spanning 25 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia. In 2009, the HPH Group handled a combined throughput of 65.3 million TEU worldwide. KICT - TERMINAL OPERATOR OF CHOICE Located on the Arabian Sea, KICT is strategically positioned at the confluence of the world's major shipping routes providing international shipping connections to leading hub ports in Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. Additionally, it provides excellent rail and road connections to Pakistan's major up-country industrial and manufacturing zones. As Pakistan's shipment of containerized cargo consistently grows apace with the market economy, it is matched by KICT's ability to handle increasing numbers of containers. In 2009 KICT recorded a container volume throughput of 724,000-TEU. KICT's close proximity to Pakistan's banking & financial sector, ease of access, a dense network of services, 24/7 operations ensured to the highest security, safety and environmental protection standards, and a pool of managerial talent with international experience further augments KICT's strategic role as the key conduit for international trade with a rapidly-changing, knowledge-based world. SHIPPING LINES OPERATING AT KICT Shipping lines operating at KICT serve ports around the world with the services spanning the globe. These include APL, COSCO, MOL, Yang Ming Line, Evergreen, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Samudera Shipping Line Ltd, NYK, Maersk Line, OOCL, Hanjin Shipping, TS Line, Hamburg Sud and many other Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) operators. KICT FACILITIES KICT occupies a cumulative area of 26.03 hectares and comprises three berths of which one is under development with a total quay wall length of 973 metres and current depth alongside of 12.5 metres. In addition to building existing container yard, KICT also constructed and enhanced supporting infrastructure, to include the expansion of in and out gatehouse lanes, in-house engineering department, marine operations and services buildings. KICT is also equipped with a temperature-controlled reefer facility offering reefer plugs capacity of 528 plugs for handling of perishable cargo in refrigerated containers. The terminal is equipped with 7 ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes and two mobile harbour cranes (MHC). In supporting quayside operations, the container yard has a total of 23 rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGC) with a stacking arrangement of up to 'one-over-six'. In addition, KICT is outfitted with modern container handling equipment including terminal tractors, forklifts; chassis, reach stackers and empty hndlers. KICT PHASE-III DEVELOPMENT With huge foreign direct investment, KICT has to-date been expanded in three phases, with the latest being the Phase-III extension. The Phase III extension of KICT was initiated in collaboration with KPT, to build the infrastructure needed to meet the growing cargo-handling needs of Karachi Port. KICT Phase-III extension involved deepening the alongside depth to 12.5 metres, enhancing handling capacity by redeveloping acquired additional land area and berths (nos 26 & 27) adjacent to initial facility and deploying additional quayside and container yard equipment. With the inauguration of Phase-III extension in November 2008, KICT now operates a total of 7 ship-to- shore (STS) gantries, 2 mobile harbour cranes, 23 RTGCs, 8 reach stackers, 8 empty container handlers, 53 terminal tractors, 75 chassis, 4 forklifts and radio data terminals (RDTs) on all terminal equipment. APPLICATION OF LEADING TECHNOLOGIES AT KICT At the heart of KICT's operations resides the modern terminal operating system, designed by Navis Corp. Database software - EXPRESS interfaces with the graphic vessel and yard software - SPARCS. Real-time communications are maintained through the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), fibre optic links and Radio Data Terminal (RDT) dispatches. KICT has an interactive website www.kictl.com, which provides online information pertaining to vessel schedules and container status. KICT is also the first container terminal in Pakistan to establish the state of the art Scanner Building. KICT E-SERVICES KICT is providing state of the art e-services to facilitate its customers. Now container location or inquire about the vessel schedules, invoice amounts, invoice verification and current exchange rate can be tracked by using sms text message service from any cellular network. List of all cellular options can also be obtained by simply sending "HELP" on 0308 KICTSMS (0308-5428767). All these services can also be accessed from the KICT web site (www.kictl.com). KICT - A PROMISING FUTURE As a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group, KICT believes that the implementation of advanced technology along with investments in human capital are the surest ways forward to improving terminal efficiency. It is this belief that has gained KICT the title of "Pakistan's Leading Container Terminal Operator" and has provided local industry with a strong channel to world markets. KICT is firmly committed to facilitating the growth of Pakistan's economy, as well as supporting the country to develop into a major hub for trade and transport in Asia. |