China Harbour Works has won the US$130 million contract to build Port Qasim’s new Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT).
The dry bulk facility, requiring a total investment of $250 million, will have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes per year of imported coal, and a further four million tonnes of cement and clinker.
In order to meet the growing energy demands of Pakistan, PIBT’s second phase of construction will see the coal handling capacity increased to 20 million tonnes per annum.
The Marine Group of Companies, who are sponsoring the ambitious project, has issued a letter of award to China Harbour Works stipulating for the works to be completed within two years. China Harbour Works will commence civil works within the next month.
Port Qasim, responsible for handling over 40 percent of Pakistan’s import and export trade, sits on the coastline of the Arabian Sea about 50 kilometres east of Karachi.
PIBT is being seen as an integral part of Pakistan’s coal supply chain with unrivalled access to the country’s power and cement plants.