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Located at the entrance of
the Persian Gulf and about 460 kms from
Karachi, Gwadar has had immense Geostrategic
significance on many accounts. The continued
unstable regional environment in the Persian
Gulf in particular as a result of the
Iran/Iraq war, the Gulf war and the
emergence of the new Central Asian States
has added to this importance. Considering
the Geo-economic imperative of the regional
changes, the ADB’s Ports Master Plan studies
considered an alternate to the Persian Gulf
Ports to capture the transit trade of the
Central Asian Republic (CAR) as well as the
trans-shipment trade of the region. Both
Karachi and PQA were considered for such
development but were found unattractive to
major shipping lines due to the remoteness
from the main shipping routes, the
limitations of draft for mother ships and
large bulk oil carriers and the comparative
long turn around times. The ADB studies,
however considered Gwadar to have the most
advantageous location for such an
alternative port in the region, which could
handle mother ships and large oil tankers in
due course.
Keeping that aspect in view
as well as the inherent strategic and
economic benefits that Gwadar Port offered,
the transport plan of the 8th Five Year Plan
(1993-94) of Pakistan included the
development of Gwadar Port as an essential
element of its aims and objectives.
Technical and financial feasibilities
therefore were under taken resulting in
decisions for the development of Gwadar Port
by the Govt. of Pakistan.
The Project started on 22
March 2002, is on fast track and will
Inshaullah complete in schedule time i.e.
March 2005. In fact it would surprise many
that with initiative and calculated risk, we
have received merchant ships since Jan 2003
and have been able to off load hundreds of
tones of cargo imported for the Project,
thus saving precious time and money which
otherwise is required for transportation of
the same cargo by road from Karachi/PQA to
Gwadar. |
