Karachi | ReNews Pakistan

The Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) has issued detailed bidding documents for a modern truck terminal and logistics park on at least 400 acres along Karachi’s Northern Bypass, the M 10, combining truck parking and dispatch facilities with warehousing, commercial spaces and essential support services.

The Request for Proposals (RFP), released on October 16, 2026, invites a private developer or consortium to arrange land, secure financing, design and construct the project, and operate the facility under a single concession agreement.

The proposed site may be located on either side of the Northern Bypass but must have direct access from the M 10 motorway.

The terminal is planned to accommodate approximately 5,000 trucks simultaneously and handle at least 5,000 truck movements daily. A central queuing and call-forward system will manage truck staging and dispatch.

The proposed layout comprises a 250 acre core for truck staging and a further 150 acres for logistics and commercial support. Facilities will include warehouses, cross docking facilities, cold storage, container storage, freight forwarding offices, vehicle workshops, fuel stations and driver accommodation. Banking, dining and medical services are also included in the proposed scope.

The concession will run for 25 years, allowing up to two years for engineering and construction, followed by 23 years of operations and maintenance. Early commercial operations may begin during construction once facilities for at least 1,000 trucks and essential services have been completed and certified.

Under the bidding framework, land acquisition and development will be financed entirely by the private partner. SMTA will provide no government land, capital contribution or subsidy.

Ownership of the land and buildings will remain with the concessionaire or the underlying landowner, while the agreement will grant the operating franchise and management rights.

Bidders must submit bid security of Rs 25 million. The non-refundable fee for the RFP documents is Rs 5,000.

Karachi | ReNews Pakistan

A major change in the global system of timekeeping has been approved following decades of efforts to reconcile highly accurate atomic clocks with the irregular rotation of the Earth. At an international conference in Versailles, France, delegates agreed to abolish the leap second system, which has been used since 1972 to keep the world's clocks aligned with the planet's rotation.

The decision will end the practice of occasionally adding or removing a second from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), allowing small differences between atomic time and time measured through Earth's rotation to accumulate over longer periods.

The resolution was adopted on October 15, 2026, during the 28th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), organised under the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The conference was held from October 13 to 15 in Versailles.

Under the approved resolution, continuous UTC will take effect on May 20, 2027, eliminating the need for leap second adjustments that have historically been introduced to maintain close alignment between atomic clocks and the Earth's rotation.

The leap second was introduced in 1972 because Earth does not rotate around its axis at a perfectly uniform speed. Although a day is conventionally measured as 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds, the actual duration of Earth's rotation varies slightly due to natural physical processes.

These variations create a difference between astronomical time, which is based on the Earth's rotation, and atomic time, which is maintained using extremely precise atomic clocks.

Scientists explain that the Earth's rotation has gradually slowed over geological timescales, largely because of tidal friction associated with the gravitational influence of the Moon.

However, the planet's rotation also experiences shorter-term fluctuations, occasionally accelerating or slowing down because of movements within the Earth's interior, changes in atmospheric circulation, ocean currents and variations in the distribution of water and ice across the planet.

In recent years, scientists have observed periods during which Earth has rotated slightly faster than expected, resulting in some days being shorter by a few milliseconds.

This unexpected acceleration raised the possibility that timekeepers might eventually need to introduce a negative leap second, removing one second from global clocks rather than adding an extra second.

Such an adjustment has never been implemented, creating concerns about how computers, telecommunications networks and other critical digital systems would respond.

According to the BIPM, a workshop involving experts in Earth rotation and timekeeping in March 2025 estimated that the probability of requiring a negative leap second could reach approximately 30% by 2035.

The possible introduction of a negative leap second was considered particularly challenging because many essential technological systems have not been designed or tested to accommodate such a change.

Under the previous system, a leap second could be introduced when the difference between Coordinated Universal Time and astronomical time, known as UT1, was expected to approach 0.9 seconds.

When necessary, an additional second was inserted into the global timekeeping system to prevent the two measurements from drifting too far apart.

Since the introduction of leap seconds in 1972, a total of 27 additional seconds have been inserted into UTC. The last adjustment occurred on December 31, 2016.

No further leap second was introduced during the following years, reflecting changes in the observed relationship between atomic time and Earth's rotation.

Atomic clocks measure time using highly stable atomic frequencies, providing substantially greater precision than timekeeping based on the Earth's natural rotation.

While atomic clocks operate at a consistent rate, Earth's rotation is influenced by multiple physical processes and therefore cannot serve as an equally uniform reference.

The difference between these two methods of measuring time was the principal reason for introducing leap seconds more than five decades ago.

However, modern infrastructure increasingly depends on precise and uninterrupted time synchronization.

Global financial transactions, telecommunications, electricity distribution, aviation, satellite navigation, internet services and advanced computing networks all rely on highly accurate time references.

Experts have warned that inserting or removing a second can create inconsistencies in computer systems, particularly when different operators use incompatible methods to accommodate the adjustment.

Previous leap-second events have been associated with technical disruptions affecting some online services and digital platforms.

The new resolution seeks to address these concerns by making Coordinated Universal Time a continuous time scale without abrupt leap-second adjustments.

Under the decision, the maximum permitted difference between UTC and UT1 will increase to 3,600 seconds, equivalent to one hour.

This does not mean that one hour will immediately be added to or removed from the world's clocks. Instead, the small difference between atomic time and Earth's rotation based time will be allowed to accumulate gradually.

Scientists expect that reaching such a large discrepancy could take several centuries, meaning the change is not expected to affect ordinary daily schedules, business hours, school timetables or public transport operations in the immediate future.

The international community had already agreed in November 2022 that the existing leap-second system should be modified by or before 2035.

However, the October 2026 conference brought forward implementation, approving the transition to continuous UTC from May 20, 2027.

Karachi | ReNews Pakistan

The importance of environmental safeguards in coastal land development, industrial installations, commercial property projects and tourism infrastructure has come into focus following an oil spill incident near Churna Island, off the coast of Karachi.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) has formally appreciated Cnergyico Pakistan Limited (CPL) for its prompt response to the incident, which occurred on June 30, 2026, highlighting the importance of emergency preparedness and institutional coordination in protecting Pakistan's coastal environment.

The incident also carries implications for coastal development planning, where industrial facilities, commercial investments and future tourism related projects must operate alongside environmental protection requirements.

According to an official communication issued by the PMSA on October 14, the oil spill was reported near Churna Island, in the vicinity of the offshore Single Point Mooring (SPM) facilities operated by Cnergyico and China Power Hub Generation Company (CPHGC).

The contamination was reportedly caused by the discharge of bilge water from an unidentified passing vessel. Bilge water refers to water that accumulates in the lower compartments of a ship and may contain oil and other contaminants.

Following the incident, the maritime security agency promptly alerted the relevant SPM control authorities.

Cnergyico subsequently mobilised its dedicated Oil Spill Response Team, deploying specialised response vessels, pollution control equipment, oil dispersants and trained personnel to contain and address the contamination.

According to the PMSA, the company's emergency response resources remained deployed for more than 24 hours, contributing to the management of the incident.

Cnergyico also extended assistance beyond its immediate operational area after receiving a request from China Power Hub Generation Company, deploying its equipment and personnel to support pollution control activities in the affected waters.

In its appreciation letter, PMSA Deputy Director General Operations Captain Abdullah Mazhar commended the professionalism, operational readiness and coordination demonstrated by Cnergyico's response team.

The agency observed that cooperation among operators of offshore energy infrastructure was essential for maritime safety, environmental protection and the effective management of pollution-related emergencies.

Churna Island, situated in the Arabian Sea west of Karachi, is an ecologically significant coastal location known for its coral habitats, fish species, sea turtles and other marine wildlife.

In September 2024, the Balochistan government designated Churna Island as Pakistan's second Marine Protected Area, following the earlier declaration of Astola Island as a protected marine area in 2017.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the waters surrounding Churna Island support diverse marine ecosystems and are subject to human activities involving fishing, tourism, commercial shipping and industrial operations.

The protected status of the island places particular importance on regulating activities that could damage its natural environment or disturb marine biodiversity.

From a real estate and construction perspective, the incident highlights the environmental responsibilities associated with the development of coastal land, port-related facilities, industrial estates, commercial buildings, warehouses and tourism infrastructure.

Such developments may require environmental assessments, land-use permissions, construction approvals and pollution control arrangements, depending on their locations and the applicable regulatory framework.

Environmental incidents involving oil contamination can raise concerns for coastal development planning, recreational activities and marine resource management.

However, no verified evidence has emerged linking the June 30 incident to a decline in residential or commercial property values, the suspension of any coastal real estate development or direct damage to privately owned land or buildings.

The distinction is important because the environmental implications of a marine pollution incident do not automatically establish financial losses in nearby real estate markets.

Following the designation of Churna Island as a Marine Protected Area, restrictions and regulatory requirements apply to certain construction, land-use changes and tourism-related activities within the protected area.

Proposed developments in or near environmentally sensitive coastal locations must therefore be assessed according to their specific sites, applicable provincial regulations and required environmental permissions.

Cnergyico, one of Pakistan's major oil refining companies, operates offshore crude oil handling infrastructure through its Single Point Mooring facility.

According to the company's 2026 annual report, it has undertaken measures to strengthen emergency response capabilities, including improvements to its oil spill response contingency planning, specialised training and pollution-control arrangements.

Despite the prompt response to the Churna Island incident, the PMSA's reported communication did not disclose the total quantity of oil or contaminated water discharged, the precise area affected or the full extent of any environmental damage.

Detailed findings regarding the environmental impact and subsequent monitoring of the affected waters were also not included in the available reports.