KARACHI: Hutchison Ports Pakistan will spend $76 million on new equipment at its Karachi deep-water container terminal over 2026 and 2027, the company said on Wednesday, as Pakistan courts foreign investment in its maritime sector.
The equipment investment is significantly smaller than a separate expansion Hutchison has been pursuing at its two Karachi terminals, which would increase berthing and yard capacity and develop a logistics park as Pakistan seeks to become a regional transshipment hub.
Hutchison raised its proposed Pakistan investment from $1 billion to $3 billion after Chief Executive Eric Ip met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in May 2025, but Arab News reported in June that the plan had stalled over contractual and public procurement issues.
The company said Wednesday’s $76 million investment would include two electric remote-controlled quay cranes, 17 electric remote-controlled rubber-tyred gantry cranes, 70 electric trucks and 50 trailers.
“Working hand-in-hand with MOMA, KPT, and the Government, we are fully focused on turning the Prime Minister’s vision to establish Pakistan as a premier transshipment hub into a reality,” CS Kim, chief executive of Hutchison Ports Pakistan, said in a statement, referring to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Karachi Port Trust.
“By deploying cutting-edge technology, we are enabling faster turnaround times, optimizing cargo clearance, and unlocking long-term economic value for the nation,” he added.
The company said it had already received 20 electric trucks, 10 trailers, a reach stacker and an empty handler this year. It expects its cumulative investment in Pakistan to surpass $690 million by the end of 2026.
Hutchison has also submitted a proposal to the government seeking additional land for a centralized examination area, according to Wednesday’s statement, which did not say whether authorities had responded.
Hutchison Ports, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, has operated in Pakistan for nearly three decades. It operates South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT), the country’s first deep-water container terminal, as well as Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT).
The company’s proposed $3 billion expansion would increase berthing and yard capacity at the two terminals and develop a logistics park. Around $1.8 billion would be invested over five to seven years, with the remainder earmarked for longer-term refurbishment and expansion, Hutchison officials told Arab News in June.
The plan has faced hurdles involving a concession agreement covering UAE-based AD Ports Group’s Karachi Gateway Terminal and public procurement rules that could require the project to be competitively tendered.
Hutchison officials said in June that major container terminals at Karachi and Port Qasim were operating at up to 80 percent capacity and argued additional capacity would be needed for Pakistan to capitalize on any recovery in Afghan transit trade and growth in trade with Central Asia and Iran.
Pakistan has been seeking foreign funding for its maritime sector as it seeks to turn its ports into regional trade and transshipment hubs and capitalize on its location along shipping routes connecting the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia.
