Design of Marine Protection Works for New Container Terminal in Karachi, Pakistan

This paper is a case study covering the planning and design of the marine protection works (breakwaters) for a new container terminal in Karachi, Pakistan for the Karachi Port Trust. The paper concentrates on the development of the plan layout for the breakwaters and the cross-sectional design of these structures.

In 2006, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) commissioned a team led by Royal Haskoning (now Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV)) to carry out the planning, design and contractor procurement for the construction of a new state-of-the-art deep water container port at Keamari Groyne, which is situated to the south and at the approaches to Karachi Harbour, Pakistan (see Figure 1). The port is to accommodate container vessels up to 400m LOA (length overall) with a draft of 16m and a capacity of approximately 13,500 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit).