Monday, December 04, 2006

Shipping: China's Pakistani megaport

There is an interesting article in The Standard, written by Jean-Herve Deiller (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE) that takes a look at a project "conceived as a gateway from China and Central Asia to the warm waters of the Arabian Sea, the Beijing-funded 'megaport' of Gwadar".

Extract: "At the foot of the rocky peninsula that overshadows Gwadar there are 600 meters of quays and five giant cranes. But with no decision yet on the port's foreign operator, not a single ship has docked here.

Past the brand new deepwater port, an inlet runs for dozens of kilometers towards the old town and fishing port of Gwadar, whose 100,000 residents have so far seen none of the fruits of the multimillion-dollar development that juts into the Gulf of Oman."

Full article: Chinese 'megaport' without ships rises from the sands in Pakistan