A UAE-flagged cable-layer was damaged after a collision with the Liberian-flagged 2,700-TEU container ship Papu near the approaches to Karachi Port on 28 May, according to Karachi Port Trust.
KPT said MV Niwa and MV Papu came into contact at about 2000 hours outside the Fairway Buoy. No casualties or injuries were reported.
The port authority deployed four tugs — MT Mithadar, MT Kharadar, MT Lyari and MT Keamari — to escort Niwa into Karachi Harbour for repairs.
The operation was completed around midnight on 28/29 May. Papu was kept at outer anchorage pending further proceedings.
Pakistan’s maritime affairs minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry ordered an investigation into the casualty. Port operations were not disrupted.
Niwa is a UAE-flagged cable-laying vessel with IMO number 8819029. The vessel is listed as about 146 metres in length. Papu is a Liberia-flagged container ship built in 2008, with a length of about 215 metres.
Karachi Port Trust is a statutory port authority operating under Pakistan’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs. It is responsible for the administration and marine operations of Karachi Port.
