Sea Port / Dry Port and Maritime Updates.

Foreign-flagged transshipment vessels: Fiscal measures package unveiled​

Vessels carrying dry bulk export cargo will receive a 60 percent concession on port dues, wharfage, and storage charges under the Karachi Port Trust tariff​

Abdul Rasheed Azad
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday announced a series of incentives aimed at attracting transshipment vessels and promoting environmentally sustainable practices as part of a broader strategy to enhance shipping activity.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry while chairing a high-level meeting, unveiled a package of fiscal measures designed to attract foreign-flagged transshipment vessels to Karachi Port, reinforcing its position as a regional maritime hub.

Under the revised framework, vessels carrying dry bulk export cargo will receive a 60 percent concession on port dues, wharfage, and storage charges under the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) tariff.

READ MORE: Ship with ME transshipment cargo berths at Karachi

Incentives linked to the number of monthly ship calls have been significantly enhanced compared with previous policies.

The minimum transshipment cargo requirement was reduced from 10 percent to 7.5 percent, a move expected to encourage more carriers to utilise Karachi Port.

The base discount has been increased from 5 percent to 20 percent, with additional incentives rising from 2 percent to 5 percent for every extra 5 percent increase in transshipment volumes.

Under the new policy, vessels carrying transshipment cargo equivalent to 50 percent of their Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) will be eligible for a flat 60 percent discount on port dues, set at USD1.18 per GRT.

Chaudhry described the measures as part of a broader strategy to boost shipping activity, noting that the new incentive structure provides substantial relief in port dues and berthing charges based on performance. The scheme took effect from March 18, 2026.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
 

Pakistan runs Karachi Port on Eid for first time in 138-year history​


ISMAIL DILAWAR

Move aims to keep trade flowing during holiday amid regional supply disruptions
  • Government says uninterrupted operations to support exporters, importers
KARACHI: Pakistan operated the Karachi Port on Eid Al-Fitr for the first time in its 138-year history, the maritime affairs minister said on Saturday, in a move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted trade and cargo handling during the religious holiday.

The decision comes as global supply chains face disruption due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East, prompting governments to prioritize continuity in logistics and trade flows.

Karachi Port is Pakistan’s primary maritime gateway, handling a significant share of the country’s imports and exports, making uninterrupted operations critical for economic activity.

“Ports remained fully operational on Eid day to facilitate exporters and importers,” Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said in a statement.

He said the move marked the first time since the establishment of the Karachi Port Trust that cargo handling activities continued on the first day of Eid, describing it as a step toward ensuring trade continuity.

Officials said operations remained active across key terminals, including the Karachi International Container Terminal and South Asia Pakistan Terminals Limited, with port staff, customs authorities and dock workers maintaining services despite the public holiday.

Chaudhry said a substantial number of import and export containers were expected to be processed during Eid and the subsequent holidays without delays, reflecting round-the-clock operational readiness.

The minister said the decision was part of broader efforts to support the business community and maintain economic momentum during a period of global uncertainty.

He added that authorities were also exploring options to expand feeder shipping services between Pakistan and the Middle East to further strengthen trade connectivity.
 
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Photograph of the deepwater container terminal in Keamari, Karachi. — Karachi Port Trust

ISLAMABAD: With the implementation of facilitation measures, long queues of container ships have begun forming at Karachi ports as global shipping lines divert vessels to Pakistan, seeking safer routes amid increased risks in the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The government has also established specialised sub-committees to recommend structural reforms in the maritime and logistics sectors. It has already reduced port charges to boost competitiveness, sped up the clearance of long-pending cargo, and implemented targeted policy measures to support transhipment activity.

Industry officials said the diversion has triggered an unprecedented surge in transhipment activity at Karachi ports, positioning Pakistan as an emerging alternative hub outside vulnerable maritime chokepoints.

Official data showed transhipment volumes at Karachi port reached 8,860 containers in just the last 24 days, while comparing with the annual volume of 8,300 containers in 2025. This clearly shows a sharp acceleration in cargo rerouting.

Industry sources said the potential of Gwadar and Karachi as transhipment ports for GCC countries and beyond, particularly during periods of crisis, is now being tested. Both ports, located outside narrow and vulnerable maritime chokepoints, offer significant opportunities for regional trade in petroleum products and LPG.

Shipping companies are increasingly opting for Karachi to avoid the security and insurance risks associated with routes passing through the Gulf, where rising tensions have heightened concerns over vessel safety and potential disruptions to supply chains.

Patron-in-Chief, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), Khurram Mukhtar, said in the backdrop of evolving global trade dynamics, Pakistan is emerging as a safe, stable, and increasingly attractive destination for international trade, investment, and transhipment activity.

The PTEA has proposed the establishment of a Centralised Monitoring & Response Unit to monitor import and export cargo flows through the Pakistan Single Window. This unit should function as a real-time control tower to identify bottlenecks across ports, terminals, shipping lines, and transhipment hubs. It should proactively coordinate with all stakeholders for swift resolution, ensuring uninterrupted cargo movement and minimizing systemic inefficiencies.

It was proposed that a comprehensive service level benchmark should be defined across the maritime trade chain, covering ports, terminal operators, shipping lines, and allied service providers. These standards must be aligned with international best practices to ensure predictability, reduce dwell time, and enhance Pakistan’s competitiveness in global trade.

The association demands that advance manifest filing be made mandatory for all shipping lines to enhance planning, transparency, and operational efficiency.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2026
 
Are you praying for war to last a little longer , selfish you.
 
Naturally, these are the ports that are mostly affected by the war.

United Arab Emirates (The Primary Hub)

The UAE is the undisputed maritime leader of the region.
Jebel Ali Port (Dubai): This is the largest and busiest port in the Middle East and ranks among the top 10 globally. It serves as the main "transshipment" hub, meaning cargo is dropped here by giant vessels and then moved onto smaller ships to reach other ports in the Gulf, East Africa, and India.

Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi): A major deep-water port that has seen massive investment and automation, handling significant container and industrial traffic.

Saudi Arabia (The Dual-Coast Giant)

Saudi Arabia is unique because it has major ports on both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

**Jeddah Islamic Port (Red Sea): Historically the most important port for the Kingdom, handling over 50% of its container traffic. It is a critical stop for ships traveling through the Suez Canal.

King Abdullah Port (Red Sea): A newer, highly efficient private port that handles massive container volumes.

King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam - Persian Gulf): The main gateway for the Kingdom’s oil-rich Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh.

Oman (The Strategic "Outside" Gateway)

Oman’s ports are highly valued because they are located outside the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships to avoid the narrow chokepoint.

Port of Salalah: A massive transshipment hub on the Arabian Sea, often used by vessels to bypass the Gulf entirely.

Port of Sohar: A major industrial and container port located near the entrance of the Gulf.

Port of Duqm: A rapidly growing multi-purpose port being developed as a major global logistics and repair hub.

Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain (Regional Gateways)

These countries primarily host "gateway" ports that serve their local economies rather than acting as global transshipment hubs.

Hamad Port (Qatar): One of the newest and most modern ports in the region, designed to give Qatar direct access to global shipping lines.

Shuaiba and Shuwaikh Ports (Kuwait): The primary entry points for Kuwait’s industrial and consumer goods.

Khalifa Bin Salman Port (Bahrain): A key regional port that handles Bahrain's maritime trade and serves as a northern Gulf logistics point.
 
mythbuster said:
Are you praying for war to last a little longer , selfish you.
Click to expand...

Long live Iran!

Now you can also understand why the likes of UAE and Qatar are involved in destabilising Pakistan.
 
The "Blocked" Ports (Inside the Gulf)

Vessels are currently avoiding these ports because they require passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where insurance has been canceled and the risk of missile or drone strikes is critical.

Jebel Ali (Dubai, UAE): Operations were temporarily suspended in early March following aerial threats and a fire. Most shipping lines (Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd) have suspended bookings here.

Hamad Port (Qatar): Currently only handling import cargo that was already at the port. New export bookings are suspended, and QatarEnergy has declared force majeure on some LNG shipments.

Khalifa Bin Salman Port (Bahrain): Operations were suspended indefinitely in mid-March after a US-flagged tanker was struck at the berth.

Shuwaikh & Shuaiba (Kuwait): Operating under high security (Level 2), but restricted only to vessels already in port; no new international bookings are being accepted.

King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam, Saudi Arabia): Operations are largely suspended for international traffic; the port is currently only handling domestic calls.

Why this explains the surge in Pakistan

Since the Omani ports (Salalah/Sohar) and Saudi ports (Jeddah) are at a breaking point, shipping companies are pushing further east to Karachi and Gwadar to drop off cargo. From there, they hope to use smaller "feeder" vessels or wait for a security corridor to open up.
 
For comparison:

As of late March 2026, Karachi Port is not just handling "more" capacity—it is experiencing a statistical explosion in volume that has pushed it to its absolute operational limits.

The surge is so extreme that Karachi Port has processed as much transshipment cargo in the first 24 days of March as it did in the entire year of 2025

Is it handling more than its capacity?​


Technically, the port is exceeding its "comfortable" operational capacity and is currently in "emergency surge" mode.
  • Terminal Congestion: The three main terminals—South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT), Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), and Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTL)—are all at or near 100% utilization.
  • The Spillover Effect: Because Karachi is so full, vessels are being diverted to Port Qasim (35 km away), which is currently holding over 3,400 containers of overflow.
  • Emergency Regulations: To prevent a total standstill, the Pakistani government issued emergency orders (SRO 525) in mid-March to allow cargo to be stored at off-dock terminals, effectively expanding the port’s "walls" to accommodate up to 60,000 containers
Why the surge is so high

Strait of Hormuz Closure: With the Strait effectively unnavigable for most commercial liners due to insurance cancellations, Karachi has become the closest "safe" deep-water port for international mega-ships to drop GCC-bound cargo.

Feeder Service Hub: Karachi has launched new dedicated "feeder" services to the UAE ports of Fujairah and Khor Fakkan (which sit outside the Strait). This allows big ships to drop everything in Karachi, and smaller, risk-tolerant vessels to shuttle essential goods into the edge of the Gulf.

The "Post-Eid" Bottleneck: The surge coincided with the Eid holidays in late March. While ships kept arriving, the local workforce was reduced, leading to a massive backlog of containers that have yet to be cleared.
 
Pakistan Emerges as Global Trade Hub as Hormuz Crisis Reroutes Shipping

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Karachi Port processed 8,313 containers in just 24 days this March — matching its entire 2025 annual volume in less than a month. That is not a rounding error. It is a 1,423% surge that tells you everything about where global trade is heading when the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint goes dark. Pakistan is emerging as a critical node in the new trade architecture forced into existence by the Strait of Hormuz crisis, and the speed of this shift has caught even seasoned logistics operators off guard. With containers stacking up at South Asia Pakistan Terminal, Hutchison Port, and Karachi Gateway Terminal, the question is no longer whether Pakistan benefits from the disruption — it is whether the country can scale fast enough to make this a permanent structural advantage.

Record Surge at Karachi Port — 24 Days Equal a Full Year

The numbers deserve a second look because they are genuinely unprecedented. In the full year of 2025, Karachi Port processed approximately 8,300 TEUs of transshipment cargo. In just the first 24 days of March 2026, that figure was exceeded — 8,313 containers were handled, representing a 1,423% increase compared to the prior year’s total. Karachi Port received 8,000 containers and dispatched 3,500, with 4,500 remaining in the port balance.

To put that in perspective: that is like a regional airport suddenly handling Heathrow-level traffic overnight. The infrastructure was not built for this pace. And yet, it is absorbing it — which tells you something about what $62 billion in CPEC investment actually bought.

www.techi.com

Pakistan Emerges as Global Trade Hub as Hormuz Crisis Reroutes Shipping | TECHi

Karachi Port processes 8,313 containers in 24 days — matching its entire 2025 volume. Pakistan emerges as a global trade hub as the Strait of Hormuz…
www.techi.com www.techi.com
 
Its sad that a good news came from a bad geopolitical situation, but given how Dubai is hammered, Chabhar is bombed, and other GCC ports are also getting damage, its high time to push for full operations at Gwadar.
 
Newly privatised PIA now in an ideal position to become a carrier to third destinations and take on the big GCC carriers, but watch them squander that opportunity....
 
Starlord said:
Its sad that a good news came from a bad geopolitical situation, but given how Dubai is hammered, Chabhar is bombed, and other GCC ports are also getting damage, its high time to push for full operations at Gwadar.
Click to expand...

Too bad. Especially for the UAE and Qatar ports.

I know exactly what the Emiratis and Qataris are thinking right now. Let's destabilize Pakistan with the help of India and Taliban.
 
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