Fish Harbors &  Port

To help communities living along the coastal areas gain proper economic benefits inline with the rest of the country the Government decided to develop a Fish Harbour-cum-Mini Port at Keti Bunder. This Mini Port will provide employment opportunities to the people of the coastal areas of Sindh. 

Gwadar Port

The Government set up a a new deep-sea port on the coastal areas of Balochistan. Part of this project  is planned construction of coastal road from Karachi to Gwadar linking up vast areas of Balochistan.

Karachi Port

Karachi Port is the hub of Pakistan's entire economic activities as much of the foreign trade is conducted through this port. Karachi Port has been  modernized and construction of a Circular Road has eased the problem of traffic congestion around Port area and central city areas of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

Port Qasim

Port Qasim is the second most important deep-sea port for handling Pakistan's foreign trade. It needs a great deal of improvement to reduce pressure on the Karachi Port. It has been especially designed to handle bulk cargo so far. Following projects are in hand to provide better facilities at the Port:-

(i) Oil Terminal: To meet the higher import volume of crude oil for meeting the requirement of energy sector in the country the Government authorized M/s. Fauji Oil Terminal and Distribution co. (FOTCO), to setup an Oil Terminal at Port Qasim with handling capacity of 9 million. The project will be completed by the end of December, 1994.

(ii) Container Terminal: A reputed foreign firm is at an advanced stage of negotiation for setting up a most modern Container Terminal at Port Qasim with an investment of US $ 75 million. The proposed project will be commissioned within next 18 months.

Revitalization of Shipping Sector

Out of total annual trade of 30 million tons, which is growing at 10 per cent per annum, only 7 per cent cargo is transported by National ships. The Government has decided to upgrade the national fleet which was old and largely unserviceable. The Government has allocated US $ 100 million for the acquisition of eight modern ships in two phases to PNSC. NTC has also been authorized to acquire a Crude Oil Tanker at a cost of US $ 32 million. With this single measure the maritime sector has been given a shot in the arm. It will henceforth handle as much as 25 per cent cargo by the year 1996. Some facilities have been given to private sector companies to help them purchase more ships.

Shipping Sector

The shipping sector in Pakistan is in its infancy at the present moment. With no sufficient amount of capital invested into the shipping sector, the entire fleet of the nation is left to only 24 ships, 17 of which are held by Pakistan National Shipping Corporation. The rest are owned by Tri-Star Shipping Corporation and a few other shipping lines.

The country has two major seaports viz. Karachi and Bin Qasim. Besides, Gwadar Fish Harbour cum Mini Port has been substantially completed. Feasibility Study to develop Keti Bunder as a Fish Harbour cum Mini Port is currently under process.

All the ports and the shipping lines are not sufficient to meet the growing demands of Pakistan and other countries and regions that these countries cater to. Regions include Kashmir, Western China, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.