KARACHI: Pakistan has unveiled a unified transshipment incentive package offering substantial concessions at Karachi Port and Port Qasim to reduce cargo handling costs, attract regional shipping traffic and strengthen the country’s position as a competitive transshipment hub.
The package, announced on Wednesday by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, has been jointly introduced by the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and their container terminal operators.
The new framework provides significant reductions in port wet charges, wharfage, storage fees and terminal handling charges (THC) for containerised, bulk and break-bulk transshipment cargo.
Performance-Based Port Charge Concessions
The minister said the incentive package introduces a slab-based concession on Port Wet Charges, with discounts linked to the proportion of transshipment cargo carried by a vessel.
The government believes the performance-based structure will encourage shipping lines to route larger volumes of transshipment cargo through Pakistani ports.
Wharfage and Storage Incentives
Under the new package, Karachi Port Trust will provide:
• Wharfage concessions ranging from 20% to 80%.
• Fourteen days of free storage at port terminals.
• Thirty days of free storage at the TPX cargo area under the responsibility of the shipping agent.
The higher concession tiers will require minimum cargo volumes:
