The Ministry of Maritime Affairs notified new rates for the export oriented cargoes at Port Qasim.
In a major decision, port charges for export goods at Port Qasim has been reduced by 50 percent, reducing wharfage and transshipment containers.
Minister for maritime affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhary has said that the decisions have been made by the government to facilitate the exporters.
He added that the move is likely to improve traffic at the port Qasim also.
“While the ministry is vying to invite cargos from Central Asian countries to Pakistani ports, it was essential to make our ports competitive.”The minister referred to talks with the Uzbekistan government over using Pakistani ports for their seaborne trade.
Currently, the Central Asian countries are either using European ports or Iranian ports for their sea trade.
The notification, will be implemented immediately.
The charges have been reduced for a period of 1 year. Besides, PQA has also reduced the handling charges for LNG cargoes.
The wharfage on export and transshipment containers is reduced by half, and providing concessions for export goods at Marginal Wharf berth No 1 & w.Other terminals including the Fotoco terminal, and Fauji Akbar Portia terminal.
While, the Charges for containerised cargo at DP World have been reduced by half but no concessions will be given in charges on empty containers.
The decision aims to promote trade and increase exports, the ministry has issued a notification, and the implementation will take place from today.
Port Qasim is based in Karachi and its main competitor port is the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), – a more than a century old key sea port for the region that includes Pakistan and Afghanistan.
