Port Qasim: Who Is Gambling With Pakistan’s Energy Lifeline?
A former minister warns that a proposed shipbreaking yard at Port Qasim threatens Pakistan's critical energy gateway and lacks transparency.Summary
Former Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs critiques a tender for a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer shipbreaking and steel plant project at Port Qasim's old Iron Ore and Coal Berth. The project would be located between LNG and oil terminals along a busy navigational channel, creating risks of channel blockage and energy supply disruption. The financial structure, involving scrap trading and steel manufacturing, raises questions about commercial viability vis-à-vis ship recycling. Environmental concerns arise due to hazardous materials and proximity to the Indus Delta. The procurement process, based on an unsolicited proposal with preferential rights for the original proponent, lacks transparency. Critical feasibility, structural, navigational, and environmental studies are deferred until after developer selection, and the 60-year concession raises financial and operational concerns. The author recommends suspending the process, publishing details, conducting independent assessments, and instead modernizing the existing Gadani shipbreaking industry and focusing on ship repair at Port Qasim.
(Source：Mm News)