By Ayesha Saba

The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) handled 28.335 million tons of cargo during October 2025–March 2026, compared with 27.717 million tons in the corresponding period of FY25, registering year-on-year growth of 2.23%.

According to a document available with Wealth Pakistan, the six-month performance was driven largely by a sharp recovery in dry bulk shipments and steady gains in container traffic, even as liquid bulk and select export categories softened.

The total imports during Oct 2025–March 2026 climbed to 18.185 million tons from 17.139 million tons recorded during the corresponding period last year, up 6.10%.

The standout performer was dry bulk cargo, which surged 123.01% to 1.401 million tons from just 0.628 million tons a year earlier.

Liquid bulk imports also rose 9.20% to 6.057 million tons, while dry general cargo edged up 4.63% to 12.129 million tons during Oct 2025–March 2026. Imports of break-bulk-style "general cargo" segment, however, slipped 2.16% to 10.728 million tons during Oct 2025–March 2026 from 10.964 million tons during the corresponding period last year.

In contrast, export volumes contracted to 10.149 million tons during Oct 2025–March 2026, down 4.05% from 10.578 million tons in the same period last year. Dry bulk exports rose 1.77% to 3.508 million tons, while dry general cargo exports fell 9.32% to 5.918 million tons. Total dry cargo exports were down 5.48% at 9.426 million tons.

Container handling rose to 1.364 million TEUs in H1 FY26, up 1.88% from 1.338 million TEUs a year earlier. Import containers grew 2.35% to 0.699 million TEUs, while export containers increased 1.38% to 0.683 million TEUs.

Terminal-wise performance during Oct 2025-March 2026 is uneven, with KGTL posting the strongest gain as throughput rose 16.66% to 0.226 million TEUs. SAPTL handled 0.806 million TEUs, up 2.73%. KICT remained largely flat at 0.329 million TEUs (+0.21%). KPT Berths saw volumes collapse 93.59% to just 0.002 million TEUs from 0.031 million TEUs a year earlier, reflecting a near-complete shift of traffic to dedicated terminals.

Ship movement rose 5.13% to 1,045 during Oct 2025-March 2026. A total of 1,045 vessels anchored at Karachi Port during the period, compared to 994 ships a year earlier. Oil tanker movement jumped 17.02% to 275, while bulk carrier arrivals rose 17.54% to 134. Container ship calls dipped 1.45% to 542.

Credit: INP-WealthPk