The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has set an ambitious goal of reducing the container dwell time at Pakistan’s ports by 70%.  To eliminate obstacles in container clearance, a high-powered committee has been established under the directive of the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry. During a high-level meeting held at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) headquarters, the committee was instructed to submit its recommendations within 10 days.   

The newly formed committee will be led by Additional Secretary for Maritime Affairs Umar Zafar Sheikh and will include representatives from the FBR, Customs, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), and other relevant departments.  The ministry has also announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art monitoring room, which will employ drones and artificial intelligence to oversee the entire container clearance process.

Addressing the meeting, Minister Junaid Anwar said that from ship docking to final customs clearance, every phase will be digitally tracked and monitored for transparency and efficiency.  He emphasized that delays in container clearance impose significant financial burdens on importers and exporters, ultimately harming trade competitiveness. "It's time to end inefficiencies.

We are fully committed to streamlining the clearance process," the minister stated. This initiative aligns with broader developments in Pakistan’s maritime sector. Earlier this year, global logistics giant DP World, operating in over 75 countries, partnered with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation (NLC) to launch a feeder shipping service from Dubai to Karachi. The service, using smaller vessels to move containers regionally, offers quicker transit times and lower shipping costs.

In March, the NLC made another milestone leap by launching Pakistan’s first flagged containerized shipping service to Gulf countries. With two vessels operating between Karachi, Jebel Ali (Dubai), and Dammam (Saudi Arabia), the service runs on a 10-day round-trip schedule.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)