Overview
- The inter-ministerial meeting, held Wednesday, ordered Karachi Port operators and customs to cut delays and charges to make Pakistan a preferred transshipment stop.
- Officials confirmed a new incentive that gives vessels carrying dry-bulk export cargo up to a 60% discount on port dues, the fees ships pay to call at the port.
- Customs said about 1,000 long-pending containers have been auctioned and 200 more are in process, while the port authority counted roughly 3,700 still awaiting clearance to free space.
- Karachi Port Trust set aside 10 acres to store auctioned boxes, and terminal representatives urged a time limit on how long containers can sit after noting some have lingered for up to 15 years.
- Maritime experts praised plans to host stranded vessels but warned yards are near capacity and urged fast on-dock expansion instead of relying on off-dock sites that add trucking and costs.