ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has initiated urgent measures to resolve congestion at Port Qasim, where sluggish sugar unloading has disrupted overall port operations and delayed cement and clinker exports.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation and its impact on export activities. Officials reported that sugar unloading was proceeding at rates well below the port’s operational capacity, causing vessel backlogs and extended turnaround times.
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The meeting was attended by Secretary Maritime Affairs Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul, Chairman Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Rear Admiral (Retd) Syed Moazzam Ilyas, Acting Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Rear Admiral Atiq-ur-Rehman, Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) CEO Syed Rafeo Bashir Shah, and representatives of the Cement Exporters Association, led by Arif Habib.
Officials noted that despite directives from the Prime Minister’s Office to divert up to 60 percent of sugar imports to Gwadar Port to reduce pressure on Karachi’s terminals, the majority of consignments continued to land at Port Qasim. The participants discussed improving vessel scheduling, optimizing berthing priorities, and enhancing coordination among state importers to avoid recurring operational bottlenecks.
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Minister Chaudhry directed the PQA to accelerate sugar discharge operations to meet the port’s handling capacity of 4,000–4,500 tonnes per day. He emphasized that efficient cargo management was essential to prevent further disruption to export activities and ensure smooth port operations.