Category: Asia and Pacific

Turkish ship to provide electricity to Karachi

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf unveiling the plaque to inaugurate the first rental power plant at the Karachi Port Trust. – APP Photo

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Water and Power, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said on Sunday that Turkish power ship will provide 232 megawatts of electricity to the national grid for Karachi at the prevailing power tariff.

Parvez Ashraf was speaking at a ceremony held to welcome the world’s largest power ship Kaya Bey Karadeniz from Turkey at Karachi Port which will provide 232 MW to national grid for Karachi.

He said that some people in the media were airing incorrect news reports that the ship will not provide electricity to Karachi and that Karachiites will pay Rs 17 per unit as the cost of rental power is very high.

“It is also incorrect that the industry and the people of Karachi will pay higher electricity rates. 232 MW electricity from this ship will go to the national grid energy mix and will be provided to Karachi at NEPRA rates approved for Karachi. Therefore, Karachiites will pay the prevailing power rates”, the Federal Minister added.

He said that in the last two years, more than 1800 MW have been added to national grid with the help of 8 IPPs and two rental power projects (RPPs).

Four more independent power projects with   a capacity of generating 800 megawatts (MW) of power will be completed by end of this year to further improve electricity supply in the country.

The Minister said that the government was following the multifaceted approach to enhance power generation in the country and all the resources including hydel, thermal and coal are being used for this purpose.

Ashraf also said that the government was working on a strategy to provide electricity to the people at affordable rate with the help of energy mix. This is a challenge, he noted.

He said the government is forced to buy costly electricity from RPPs for five years till the time that long-term cheap power projects come on stream.

Explaining the reasons for increasing power tariff, the Minister said that previously, Pakistan was generating 70 per cent of its electricity through hydel power and 30 per cent from thermal. Now it is the opposite, the country is producing 70 per cent of its power from thermal generation, he added.

In his inaugural address, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said that the power ship has obtained all the necessary certifications and quality tests from concerned departments including Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

He called upon Turkish energy group to make more direct investment in energy sector and other sectors in Pakistan.

He thanked Karadeniz for bringing in the power ship to Karachi at the time of need and quoted a famous proverb “a friend in need is a friend indeed”.

Shah said that this ship will provide 232 MW of uninterrupted power supply to Karachi for the next five years. He also urged Port Qasim Authority to provide maximum support to the Turkish power ship.

Sindh CM called upon the federal government to extend more support to Thar coal projects for the early commissioning   of power generation from these projects.

He said the Engro power project, a joint venture of Sindh government and a private company will generate 2500 MW of power.

President Karadeniz Energy Orham Ramzey said that the ship with 19 brand-new power generating engines has been completely built in Turkey and   will provide uninterrupted power supply.

The power ship will start power generation after anchoring at mooring basin at Ibrahim Hyderi near Port Qasim in the next four weeks.

He said that the financial close of the project was reached in a record time keeping in view the urgency of PPIB for power needs.

Turkish Ambassador Babur Hizlan said that the ship has arrived with the aim to serve the beautiful city of Karachi.

Referring to the historic relations between Turkey and Pakistan, he said that his country has provided $ 50 million for the relief of flood victims and another $ 142 million will be provided for their rehabilitation. – APP

November 23, 2010
Train service between Pakistan, Turkey soon

Lahore—A train service will soon be started between Pakistan and Turkey whereas Turkey is taking solid steps for promotion of trade and over-coming energy crises in Pakistan which will soon yield positive results.

These views were expressed by heads of Turkish traders delegation Mr. Turgut Puyan and Mr. Dogan Kaynak during media briefing. They said that they preferred to celebrate Eid with their flood affected brothers and sisters in Pakistan by leaving their family and country on Eid days. They said that 5000 animals were sacrificed and 2.5 lakh packets of meat were distributed among affectees and a total of 15 lakh people benefited from this meat. They told that all animals were purchased from flood hit areas and Rs. Two crore were paid to the local people.

They told that due to this step, economic activities were boost up in flood hit areas. Turkish traders informed that MoUs were signed with Lahore Chamber of Commerce for enhancing trade between Pakistan and Turkey under which a delegation of Pakistani traders will visit Turkey next year. They said that Turkish and Pakistani Prime Ministers and Chief Minister Punjab have given a special target which will be fulfilled and both the countries will achieve the target of trade of two billion dollars during next two years.

They said that planning has been made for opening school with the cooperation of Turkey in every city of Pakistan. Turkish traders informed that they witnessed personally that the financial assistance given for the rehabilitation of flood affectees is being used properly. They told that Turkish investors will start their business in Pakistan in near future. They also told that train service between Pakistan and Turkey will be started soon whereas Turkey will also extend full cooperation for over-coming energy crises in Pakistan. A mobile power plant has reached at Karachi Port in this regard which will provide electricity to Karachi for five years.

Turkish traders said that they are thankful to the people of Punjab and Khadim-e-Alla Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on their warm welcome. They said that Turkey and Pakistan are two separate country but are one nation.

November 23, 2010
Singapore Airlines starts direct flights to Istanbul

The Singapore Airlines started to operate direct flights between Istanbul and Singapore on Monday.

Monday, 22 November 2010 15:24

The Singapore Airlines started to operate direct flights between Istanbul and Singapore on Monday.

A Singapore Airlines plane took off from Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport with 94 passengers aboard. It is expected to arrive in Singapore on Tuesday.

The flag carrier of Singapore will fly between Istanbul and Singapore for four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

“Direct flights will reduce the flight time between the two cities by two hours and 25 minutes,” Singapore Airlines Turkey’s director general Ang Beng Siong said during a ceremony at the airport.

Previously, the airline company was flying between Istanbul and Singapore via Dubai.

The airline is a subsidiary of Singapore government investment and holding company Temasek Holdings which holds 54.5% of voting stock.

Singapore Airlines has diversified into related industries and sectors, including ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operations.

AA

November 23, 2010
Exporters leave for Turkey

SIALKOT: A six-member delegation of leading leather goods exporters left Sialkot for Turkey on Saturday, for a week-long study visit under the auspices of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido).

The head of the delegation, Muhammad Anwar Butt, told media that the Sialkot exporters would learn advanced leather and leather goods manufacturing technology from Turkish exporters and manufacturers, while visiting manufacturing facilities in Istanbul and Azmir (the big industrial cities of Turkey). The Pakistani exporters would also share their experiences and observations.

He said that the trip would also be helpful in the early transfer of advanced leather technology to Sialkot which would help upgrade and modernise the industry, enabling it to meet global challenges under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.

Butt said that Unido had offered technical assistance and expertise to strengthen the leather industry which could be capable of meeting the international demand and quality standards. Unido has initiated a development project for this purpose which included provision of latest machinery for garments to the Leather Product Development Institute Sialkot, practical training and foreign study tours for hands-on knowledge.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2010.

via Exporters leave for Turkey – The Express Tribune.

November 22, 2010
Armenian appointed vice-mayor in Turkey

Mustafa Farsakoglu, the Mayor of islands adjacent to Istanbul broke with Turkish tradition appointing member of city council Raffi Hermon Araks, Armenian by origin, to the post of his deputy, Taraf reported.

The Mayor noted that they should meet halfway non-Muslim citizens to protect their rights. “We realize the responsibility. It is shameful even to utter “ethnic minority” phrase. We have appointed to the post our friend elected by people,” he said.

Raffi Hermon Araks has recently organized Kurban Bairam for local residents.

The official, as well as his people took part in namaz and then distributed the sacrificed meat among the needy families. He congratulated the local residents, assuring them that he is ready to perform a namaz with “our Muslim brothers and offer a prayer at the synagogues of Jewish brothers.”

via Armenian appointed vice-mayor in Turkey | Armenia News – NEWS.am.

November 21, 2010
Pak, Turkey to enhance trade ties

LAHORE: Pakistan and Turkey need to promote cooperation in agriculture, industrial, trade, science, education and other sectors including technological advancements. The consensus was developed at a meeting between 30-member Turkish delegation and the Executive Committee Members of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday.

Both the sides agreed that the deep-rooted relations between Pakistan and Turkey should be translated into trade and economic terms in the larger interests of the people of the two sides. The visit to Pakistan provided an opportunity to the Turkish delegates to have first-hand knowledge about available business openings in Pakistan.

The delegates while exchanging their views said that both the countries have marvelous but as-yet-untapped business potential that needs to be realised by maximising the involvement of private sectors of the two countries. The Turkish delegates hoped that the economic relation between the two countries would strengthen further to create a win-win situation for Pakistan and Turkey.

In his address, the head of Turkish delegation and Vice President Business Tuskon Federation, Dogan Kaynak said that Turk people attach great importance to Pakistan, consider it their second home and this was the only reason that they had expressed solidarity with their brothers and sisters by celebrating Eid in Pakistan. He said that the Turkish people in general and the business community in particular would continue to support Pakistan in the days to come. He said that the delegates during their visit to Pakistan gained ample information about available business opportunities and would surely be coming back with good investment proposals.

Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI President Shahzad Ali Malik thanked the Turkish delegation for celebrating Eid with flood victims in Pakistan. He said that it speaks volumes about Turkish people having love for their brothers and sisters in Pakistan.

The LCCI President said that the LCCI is taking immediate and concrete steps to enhance the volume of trade between the two countries from existing $663 million to $2 billion. He said in order to achieve the target, focused and collaborative efforts would be made.

Shahzad Ali Malik said that Turkey would be focused this year for exploring trade and business opportunities and to achieve the goal a strong linkage would be established with Turkish businessmen for having market access to Europe, North Africa and Middle East.

The LCCI President said that the LCCI through its own efforts is continuously working on an agenda of closer cooperation between Turkey and Pakistan. To supplement these efforts, we have established Turkey-Pakistan Business Council by signing an agreement with Foreign Economic Relations Board, Turkey.

He said that the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Lahore chamber and Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Industry needs to be reinforced. The LCCI President also lauded the efforts made by Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif for strengthening the linkages among the business communities of Turkey and Pakistan. He said that the role of Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) is quite exemplary as they are organizing conferences like they held in April 2010 in Lahore where over 200 leading CEOs of both the countries were engaged to discuss ways of exploring investment opportunities for Turkish companies in Punjab. Shahzad Ali Malik said that Pakistan was in dire need of Turkish expertise in the food processing and agriculture sectors. The LCCI is giving top priority to these two sectors because the recent floods have destroyed agriculture and food industry.

The LCCI President said that in the wake of the recent floods, the country is going to initiate the process of reconstruction of infrastructure, bridges and road networks in the devastated areas, the Turkish construction companies would find ample opportunities to collaborate with Pakistani businessmen.

Earlier, the LCCI signed an MoU with ANEED (Anatolian Businessmen Federation) working under the umbrella of Business Tuskon Confederation, ANEED, Turkey — a federation committed to making a valuable contribution to the nation’s economic development through the promotion of trade and industry.

via Daily Times – Leading News Resource of Pakistan – Pak, Turkey to enhance trade ties.

November 21, 2010