Comment by Riaz Haq on December 21, 2025 at 8:49am

Karachi Port Bulk Terminal Deal Signed by AD Ports Group


https://www.themaritimestandard.com/karachi-port-bulk-terminal-deal...


Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose Limited (KGTML), part of Noatum Ports, the international ports operating arm of AD Ports Group, and Louis Dreyfus Company Pakistan (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of global agricultural goods merchant and processor Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), have signed a long-term commercial agreement to develop and operate a clean bulk handling and storage facility for agricultural goods at Karachi Port.

Under the agreement, KGTML will invest in the design and construction of a food-grade clean bulk facility, including a dedicated handling and conveyor system supported by essential infrastructure and utilities, to manage dry agricultural bulk cargo efficiently. LDC has committed to supplying inbound volumes of agricultural commodities to support the operation of the new facility.

The development is expected to enhance operational efficiency, shorten handling times and strengthen the resilience of Pakistan’s agricultural logistics network, supporting more reliable supply chains across the country.

Alongside KGTML, AD Ports Group is also developing, operating and managing the Karachi Gateway Terminal Limited (KGTL) container terminal at Karachi Port. As such Pakistan remains a strategic pillar in AD Ports Group’s wider growth plans as the maritime gateway to Central Asia.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 31, 2025 at 1:09pm

Pakistan’s seafood exports to China rise 24% to $240 million in 2025

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2627913/pakistan


The Chinese embassy cites strong growth in agricultural trade with Pakistan
Islamabad aims to expand food exports amid effort to boost foreign reserves
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s seafood exports to China rose 24% year-on-year to $240 million in the first 11 months of 2025, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad said on Wednesday, highlighting growing agricultural trade between the two countries.

China is one of Pakistan’s largest seafood export markets, alongside destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam and countries in the Middle East. Pakistan exports fish, shrimp and other marine products sourced from coastal areas in Balochistan and Sindh, including Gwadar, Pasni and Karachi, with shipments typically consisting of frozen fish, frozen shrimp and a smaller volume of processed seafood.

The figure cited by the Chinese embassy fits into a longer upward trend, supported by rising Chinese demand, improvements in cold-chain logistics and market access approvals for Pakistani exporters.

“Pakistan’s seafood exports to China hit [nearly] $240 million from Jan-Nov 2025, soaring by 24% compared with the same period in 2024, which fully shows the strong vitality of the agricultural trade between China & Pakistan,” the embassy said. “[China looks] forward to more export of high-quality Pakistani products to China in the future.”

China is Pakistan’s closest regional ally and a key destination for its agricultural and food exports, which Islamabad has been seeking to expand to bolster foreign exchange earnings.

The two countries enjoy strong strategic and economic cooperation, with Chinese support seen as vital to Pakistan’s efforts to diversify its export base beyond textiles and reduce reliance on external financing.

Beijing and Islamabad are also working closely on energy and infrastructure projects as part of broader efforts to enhance regional connectivity and support industrial development in Pakistan.

Comment by Riaz Haq on January 6, 2026 at 8:47am

Pakistan advances maritime industry with new container ship

https://news.az/news/pakistan-advances-maritime-industry-with-new-c...

Pakistan on Tuesday began construction of a 1,100 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) container ship for the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) at the Karachi Shipyard, aiming to bolster the country’s maritime capacity and reduce dependence on foreign shipping, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs said.

The steel-cutting ceremony was inaugurated by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, who described the project as an important step toward enhancing the country's shipbuilding capabilities, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.

Speaking at the event, Chaudhry said the vessel would be constructed entirely with domestic resources, reflecting growing technical expertise within Pakistan's shipbuilding industry.

He added that the project is expected to help conserve foreign exchange and expand the operational strength of the national shipping fleet.

The minister noted that the expansion of the PNSC fleet would contribute to greater efficiency in the supply chain and support the country's trade activities. He also highlighted the project's role in creating employment opportunities for skilled workers in the maritime sector.

Chaudhry said Karachi Shipyard is gradually emerging as a key center for national maritime development, adding that shipbuilding and ship repair remain central components of Pakistan's maritime policy.

He emphasized that about 95 percent of Pakistan's trade is conducted through sea routes, underlining the importance of developing a self-reliant and resilient maritime industry to support sustainable economic growth.

Comment by Riaz Haq on June 9, 2026 at 9:48am

Saudi investors eye Pakistan port deal | Semafor

https://www.semafor.com/article/06/09/2026/saudi-investors-eye-paki...

Saudi investors are weighing up a deal to create a 140-acre industrial park in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, in a further sign of warming ties between the two countries. The proposed joint venture will focus on attracting maritime businesses, using land belonging to the Karachi Port Trust.

Pakistan wants to establish itself as a hub for trade between China and the Gulf, and in recent times has been moving particularly close to Saudi Arabia, not least through a bilateral defense pact signed last year — something that has strained Islamabad’s relations with the UAE and added to the complexity of mediating between the US and Iran to end their war. The conflict, though, has sharpened Saudi Arabia’s logistics sector, with the country’s Red Sea ports seeing a surge in business to service neighboring countries cut off from their usual trade routes due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Comment by Riaz Haq on June 9, 2026 at 9:49am

Pakistan Looks to Host Crude Reserve Sites of Gulf Oil Producers


https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Pakistan-Looks-t...


Pakistan is encouraging oil producers from the Persian Gulf to set up crude reserve buffers at a planned Energy City near one of its ports, The Express Tribune reported on Friday.

"In case of emergencies like the breakout of war, Pakistan will have the first right to utilise the oil reserves," a Pakistani official told the publication.

Pakistan, which doesn't have crude reserves at present to act as a buffer in case of emergencies, has been reeling from the Middle East crisis and negotiating with Iran to secure the passage of cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan plans to set up a so-called Energy City at the Gwadar Port, and Kuwait has already expressed interest in building up crude reserves there, according to The Express Tribune.

Pakistan "plans to set up an Energy City where strategic oil reserves will be built along with establishing LNG and LPG terminals," the official told the outlet.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, has asked Kuwaiti officials to explore crude, LPG, and LNG storage sites with the potential creation of rental-based bonded storage facilities, which could support regional trade flows and improve the supply-chain efficiency of energy trade.

Pakistan – which has been mediating U.S.-Iran talks in recent weeks – has been negotiating to have Qatari LNG moved out of the Persian Gulf for the first time since the war began.

Pakistan has relied on Qatar’s term LNG supply for years, but the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to the shutdown of Qatari LNG production and exports.

Without Qatar’s LNG, Pakistan has been reeling from an intensifying energy crisis with power outages and fuel rationing.

Thanks to a bilateral Pakistan-Iran agreement, two vessels carrying Qatari LNG are now en route to Pakistan after successfully passing through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.

Comment by Riaz Haq on July 9, 2026 at 3:52pm

Pakistan begins commercial shipbuilding after four decades, official says

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2650238/pakistan

State-run Pakistan National Shipping Corporation spearheads shipbuilding project at Karachi Shipyard, says official
Commercial shipbuilding will allow Pakistan to save foreign exchange to import ships, create manufacturing jobs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has started building its first commercial container ship since the early 1980s, an official said on Thursday, implementing a state-backed strategy to modernize the country’s ports, overhaul customs and revive its defunct shipbuilding and ship-recycling industries.

The project at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW), executed under a contract with the state-run Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), ends a four-decade pause in commercial manufacturing of ships. It serves as one of the key elements of a push by the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Maritime Reforms, established in August 2024, to tap into the country’s underutilized blue economy that officials estimate stands at $1billion.


“For the first time since the early ‘80s, commercial container ship construction has started there [Karachi Shipyard] under a contract signed with the PNSC,” Vice Admiral (retired) Iftikhar Ahmad Rao, the task force’s chairman, said during a press briefing.

“Construction has already begun, the steel cutting has been completed, and its cost is several million lower than the market rate.”

The task force identified 99 bottlenecks to maritime issues, Rao said, out of which the task force has implemented 84 of its recommendations within a year. Citing one of them, he said heavy fiscal barriers previously forced private Pakistani shipowners to register vessels with foreign countries such as Panama or Liberia.

To counter regional competitors such as India, which provides a 30 percent subsidy on shipbuilding, Pakistan has abolished a 22 percent domestic sales tax on vessel purchases and shipbuilding materials, Rao said.

The overarching goal of these reforms by the task force is to tap into an estimated $100 billion annual blue economy potential by 1947, he said.

Pakistani officials have said that while the maritime sector currently contributes less than 1 percent to the national GDP, the country aims to enhance this share through modernized ports and more fleets.

Officials have said that logistical upgrades brought about by the task force’s recommendations have already boosted Pakistan’s standing in the global maritime indexes. Over the past five years, Karachi Port Trust climbed 30 places to 69 in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index, while Port Qasim ranked fifth among the world’s fastest-improving container ports.

These recommendations include reducing average customs clearance times toward a 12-hour target by deploying advanced container scanners, introducing round-the-clock shift structures, and relocating third-party testing laboratories directly inside port premises.

Pakistan is also moving to revive its once-dominant shipbreaking sector at Gadani, a coastal town in southwestern Pakistan, Rao said. The shipbreaking industry collapsed after failing to meet modern environmental mandates.

Following Pakistan’s accession to the International Maritime Organization’s Hong Kong Convention for safe ship recycling, five local yards have achieved full compliance, the official said.

Commercial shipbuilding will allow Pakistan to save foreign exchange earnings that it usually spends on importing ships. This would also create manufacturing jobs and help the South Asian country potentially export ships to other countries in the future.

Comment by Riaz Haq 1 hour ago

Iran war creates an opening for Pakistan’s maritime industry

https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/07/14/iran-war-creates-an-opening-fo...

IN BRIEF
While the US–Israel war on Iran has placed significant strain on Pakistan’s economy, it has also boosted the country’s maritime industry by disrupting regional shipping routes. Karachi Port and Port Qasim have benefited from the resulting diversion of trade, while the broader realignment has created an opportunity for China and Pakistan to develop Gwadar as an alternative transshipment hub. But long-term gains will depend on security, investment and whether these changes prove permanent.

While the US–Israel war on Iran has put significant pressure on Pakistan’s fragile economy, it has unexpectedly boosted the country’s maritime sector. Amid the chaotic reshaping of maritime routes, Pakistan’s ports have experienced a boom in commercial activity, creating an opportunity for China and Pakistan to advance Gwadar Port as an alternative transshipment hub under the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Pakistan’s ports play a vital role in its economy. Karachi Port is located on the Arabian Sea, a strategic benefit, and is Pakistan’s oldest. Port Qasim is a deep-sea port in Sindh and Pakistan’s second busiest port by cargo traffic. Their proximity to the Strait of Hormuz allows them to capture a larger share of transshipment traffic diverted by disruptions to Gulf shipping routes.

In the early stages of the conflict in Iran, Gwadar Port handled a specialised vessel carrying general transshipment cargo for the first time at its southwestern end. This milestone followed the Pakistani government’s revision of its international transshipment rules, which now permit the handling of transshipment cargo within and outside Pakistan’s air and sea ports. Since then, the government has revised the port’s tariff structure. Charges on international transshipment container cargoes have been slashed by 40 per cent and tariffs on transit container cargoes by 31 per cent.

In 2025, the government reported a record profit of PRs 100 billion (US$359 million) in its maritime sector, a notable achievement for a country that has faced stagnant economic growth. Both Karachi Port and Port Qasim have seen a major uptick in commercial activity as transshipment cargoes have been rerouted. Karachi Port, in particular, has benefited from the government’s fiscal incentives launched in March 2026, which significantly reduced tariffs.

Karachi Port handled more cargo in the first quarter of 2026 than it did in all of 2025. Enthusiasm for the port was further heightened by the government’s announcement that it would establish an ‘energy city’ and multipurpose terminal as part of its recent push to boost its blue economy.

As one of the flagship initiatives of CPEC, both China and Pakistan have envisioned Gwadar Port as a major regional transit hub since 2013. Gwadar has modern infrastructure and deep-sea capabilities and is located at a critical junction between Middle Eastern and Asian trade networks. For China, Gwadar’s strategic location provides a shorter route for energy imports, reducing its reliance on the longer Malacca Strait route.

Yet investments in Gwadar have so far failed to deliver. Years of financial mismanagement, rising inflation and a lack of fiscal responsibility have slowed progress on major CPEC projects. Gwadar’s security situation has also been of concern. In 2025, there was a significant number of terrorist attacks in Balochistan. These attacks have threatened to destabilise regional security and pose an obstacle to Chinese investments in the region.

While there is still some way to go before the Gwadar project can be considered a commercial success, the crisis in Iran has introduced factors that may allow China and Pakistan to restrategise.

Comment by Riaz Haq 1 hour ago

Iran war creates an opening for Pakistan’s maritime industry

https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/07/14/iran-war-creates-an-opening-fo...


Though the Qatar- and Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has been signed, rebuilding trust between Iran and the Gulf states will take time. The conflict has weakened confidence in the United States as a regional security guarantor, prompting some Gulf states to question their ties and potentially opening a window for China to play a larger role. While the threat of conflict in the Gulf lingers, Gwadar can be marketed as a safe port, with China as a guarantor of security.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz underscores how vital certain trade routes are to global supply chains. Like many other developing countries, Pakistan was severely affected by the blockade and had to resort to nationwide austerity measures. The resulting energy crises may have incentivised Pakistan to take a greater role in the peace project.

Yet for Pakistan’s maritime industry, 2026 has already become a landmark year, with increased commercial activity in the country’s ports directly linked to the conflict. As traditional transshipment hubs came under threat, states had little choice but to tap into Pakistani ports. The Pakistani government seized on this opportunity, easing some of its transshipment rules and providing tariff concessions.

For these short-term gains to develop into long-term dividends, much will depend on whether the changes in Gulf trade prove to be permanent. When the threat of conflict subsides, traditional regional hubs will look to resume operations. But the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will serve as a potent reminder of the risks when access to major hubs relies on a single chokepoint.

For Pakistan and China, the future success of Gwadar is contingent on their ability to develop its technical capacity and shipping logistics. Compared with major hubs in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Gwadar benefits from its geographical position, deep-water capabilities, integration with CPEC and links to new overland trade routes in Central Asia and Iran. Yet it is still dwarfed by the technical capacity of traditional Gulf hubs, which can handle much larger volumes of transshipment cargo.

If Pakistan and China can maintain security in Gwadar and expand its technical capacity, the port could benefit from new shipping routes that reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.

Muhammad Saad Ul Haque is a researcher and political analyst based in Vancouver, Canada.

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