Splash247: Hutchison lines up $76m Karachi terminal upgrade

Published by Splash247

Hutchison Ports Pakistan is planning a $76m upgrade of its deepwater container terminal in Karachi over the next two years, adding electric cranes and trucks as the operator expands automation and handling capacity.

The programme at South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT) will add two electric remote-controlled quay cranes, 17 electric remote-controlled rubber-tyred gantry cranes, 70 electric terminal trucks and 50 trailers.

Equipment has already started arriving. Hutchison said 20 e-trucks and 10 trailers had been received during 2026, together with a reach stacker and an empty container handler.

The rollout builds on an electrification programme already underway at the terminal. Chinese equipment supplier Westwell said earlier this year that 18 of its electric heavy-duty terminal trucks were operating at SAPT alongside its AI-based safety monitoring system.

Hutchison is also seeking additional land from the Pakistani government for a centralised container examination area aimed at speeding customs clearance and reducing congestion around the terminal.

SAPT is Pakistan’s first purpose-built deepwater container terminal and has 1,500 m of quay across four berths and around 85 ha of yard space. Hutchison has invested about $600m in the facility, with Karachi Port Trust providing reclamation and dredging works.

The latest spending comes amid a wider government push to turn Karachi into a regional transhipment hub. Pakistan introduced a new incentive package this month offering escalating reductions in port charges depending on the proportion of transhipment cargo carried by vessels calling at Karachi Port and Port Qasim.

Hutchison has separately been pursuing a much larger expansion of its Pakistani operations. The group initially proposed a $1bn investment covering SAPT and Karachi International Container Terminal, including automation, electrification, road improvements and a 52 ha logistics park. Government documents said the plan included remote-controlled cranes, automated RTGs, electric trucks and digitalised gates.

That proposal subsequently grew to around $3bn, although Hutchison officials said in June that parts of the expansion were being held up by concession and public procurement issues. The wider plan includes additional berthing and yard capacity at both Karachi terminals and new logistics facilities.