KARACHI: Five ships carrying huge quantity of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and crude oil berthed at Port Qasim in Karachi on Wednesday, ensuring stability in the country’s supply chain.
One ship carrying approximately 11,000 metric tonnes of LPG has recently arrived, while two other vessels, each loaded with around 12,000 metric tonnes, had already docked at the port and began offloading their cargo.
In addition, another large tanker transporting nearly 35,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas has also reached the port, further strengthening the country’s fuel reserves.
MT Sargodha belonging to Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) carrying 65,029 metric tonnes of crude oil has docked at the port and offloading has swiftly been set into motion. The vessel has so far discharged over 42,000 metric tonnes of oil.
Another PNSC ship, MT Karachi, carrying crude oil will arrive at the Karachi port on Thursday (tomorrow) and the third one, MT Shalimar, will be here on March 13 (Friday).
The arrival of these shipments is expected to ease supply pressures and help stabilize the domestic market.
Despite the availability of sufficient LPG supplies, concerns have been raised about rising retail prices in certain markets.
According to the LPG Distributors Association of Pakistan, some traders are reportedly selling the commodity at inflated rates, citing fluctuations in international crude oil prices as justification.
Association chairman Irfan Khokhar stated that the country currently has ample LPG stock and there is no immediate shortage. He expressed optimism that prices would decline in the coming days as supply improves.
At present, the official government price for LPG in Karachi stands at Rs250 per kilogram, though market rates may vary in different areas.
