Night navigation of oil vessels was conducted by Fauji Oil Terminal and Distribution Company (FOTCO) in collaboration with Port Qasim Authority (PQA) which is said to be a major factor that will increase the company’s capacity by 30 percent. The oil vessel named ‘MT. Ardmore’ pilots under night navigation protocols and carries gasoline berthed at FOTCO by Port Qasim Authority. Joint studies and pilot simulations were done in order to achieve this milestone keeping in view the SOPs of berthing.
FOTCO’s General Manager Adnan Samdani stated that the country’s growing need of fuel and increasing dependency on imports called for betterment of port infrastructure all across the country. He said that it will be a major step to resolve port congestion. Seccretary FOTCO, Brigadier Noor ul Hassan (retd) said that company has had no spillage and other accidental incidents in its 28 year history.
As of right now, FOTCO and PQA are responsible for handling of 70 percent of the country’s imported finished petroleum products and effective operations are extremely necessary for ensured Energy stability of the country. Adnan Samdani further highlighted that rationalizing berthing plans, vessel performance and maximising cross country pipeline utilization will confirm a long term and sustainable supply of petroleum to the consumer.
Adnan Samdani also said “While the company has aggressive expansion plans in place to expand port handling facilities, it is still prudent to maximise utilisation of existing infrastructure through addressing existing bottlenecks including vessel pumping rates, larger parcel size and optimise planning and SOPs,”
