KARACHI: Karachi Port Trust (KPT) commenced an operation today to recover shipping containers that had fallen into the sea on March 19.

Hapeg-Lloyd?s ship 8,000-TEU Tolten which was carrying transit-containers collided with another vessel 6,350-TEU Hamburg Bay in the process of being given the alongside South Asia Port Terminal Limited (SAPT) berth on Monday. Both vessels were docked at the Karachi Port soon after the incident took place.

At least 21 containers, carrying imported cars and freight worth millions of rupees, had fallen into the sea as a result of the collision that damaged the berth and the parked vessel.

Two cranes of the KPT remained busy recovering the containers, assisted by divers of the Pakistan Navy, throughout the day before the operation was halted for the day.

The recovery operation is likely to span over a period of two to three days, maritime experts told Geo News, following which the South Asia Port Terminal (SAPT) will open for traffic.

On Monday, Hapag-Lloyd's 8,000-TEU Tolten collided with the 6,350-TEU Hamburg Bay at South Asia Port Terminal, one of South Asia's busiest seaports.

The administration of the deep port, however, managed to avert possible damage to the cranes installed at the berth through a timely operation.

Operations at the SAPT, which were suspended after the accident, will resume after the containers are removed from the sea through a special operation by the Karachi Port Trust.