Hutchison Ports has confirmed the commencement of construction of the second phase of the Pakistan deepwater container port project with US$240 million worth of new investment.

Once completed, the project would raise the handling capacity  of the Pakistan port to 3.2 million TEUs.

Eric Ip, group managing director of Hutchison Ports, said the Hutchison Ports' total investment — including the Karachi International Container Terminal — in Pakistan will reach PRs150 billion (US$1 billion), providing direct employment to over 3,000 staff and supporting thousands working in the ports and shipping sector.

The terminals also contribute over PRs15 billion  (US$96 million) annually to the government in the form of taxes and concession fees.

Ip also noted the technologies and industry best practices that Hutchison Ports has introduced to Pakistan including the establishment of a Regional Operations Centre to provide ship planning function for Hutchison Ports' operations in the Far East, offering local staff with valuable opportunity to engage with high-level international training and overseas experience, and deployment of state-of-the-art technologies such as the remote-controlled ship-to-shore cranes and semi-automated yard cranes first introduced to the country's port industry.

Hutchison Ports, with a global network of 52 ports said it remains committed to Pakistan and the development of Karachi Port into a major hub for trade and transport in Asia.