ISLAMABAD – The federal cabinet on Tuesday announced to reduce port charges by 50 percent to facilitate exporters.
Federal Minister for Information Chaudhry Fawad Hussain announced it while briefing media about the decisions taken by the federal cabinet in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to shipping agents, the port charges varies between $50,000 to $100,000 per ship depending upon the size of the ship and the number of days it spends to off load or upplace cargo at a port.
The major port charges include port dues, pilotage in, pilotage out, pilotage charges, ship berthing and storage, it was learnt.
The cut in port charges would give tough competition to ports of Colombo in Sri Lanka, Salalah in Oman and Jebel Ali in Dubai.
The development comes days after the Cabinet Committee on Transportation and Logistics decided that the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) would reduce wet and dry port charges by 50%.
The committee in a meeting presided over by Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi had asked the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to examine the possibility of reduction of port charges as done by the PQA.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/first-wheat-import-vessel-discharges-after-port-inspection/
