Minister backs FPCCI’s call for national shipping lines

KARACHI: Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has endorsed the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI)’s demand for the establishment of strong, indigenous shipping lines, noting that Pakistani traders pay substantial amounts of foreign exchange annually to international carriers.

According to an FPCCI statement issued on Wednesday, the minister visited the FPCCI Head Office at the Federation House, Karachi for a detailed and interactive consultative session with representatives of the business, trade and industrial sectors. Key stakeholders including terminal operators, shipping lines, customs agents and media personnel were also present.

The minister announced plans to launch national shipping lines and procure new vessels to expand the country’s maritime fleet. He also committed to an open-door policy to ensure the prompt resolution of concerns and complaints raised by the trading community.

He informed participants that the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) had successfully reclaimed land worth Rs100 billion from encroachers and invited the business community to partner with KPT in joint ventures to establish business facilities.

FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh offered his full support to the ministry in the consultation process and urged that FPCCI representatives be involved from the outset to ensure alignment with ground realities and commercial needs.

Senior Vice President of FPCCI Saquib Fayyaz Magoon reiterated the federation’s stance that the 1.8 per cent infrastructure cess collected by the Sindh government from importers should be reinvested in the development of infrastructure linked to the ports, industrial zones, commercial centres, and the city of Karachi at large.

He added that the total collection from the cess amounts to approximately Rs300 billion -- sufficient, he said, to redevelop and modernise Karachi and Sindh’s infrastructure to meet international standards. In response, the minister expressed willingness to engage the Sindh government in discussions alongside the business community in the national and economic interest.

Magoon also highlighted that the Netty Jetty interchange is currently the only access route to the Karachi Port. He cautioned that any disruption or emergency affecting this route could bring national trade to a standstill, underlining the urgent need for an alternative route to manage traffic flow to the port.