Summary A specialized vessel, carrying 35 pieces of general transshipment cargo, berthed at Gwadar port, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Sunday.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The government is eyeing increasing transshipment activity amid recent tensions in the Middle East region, the Press Information Department (PID) said in a statement after a specialized vessel carrying general transshipment cargo berthed at the southwestern Gwadar port.
As Iran continues to block several ships from carrying oil and gas supplies across the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, several vessels have changed their routes to avoid the risky journey. Earlier this month, Pakistan revised its international transshipment rules, which shipping line representatives say now permit the handling of transshipment cargo both within and outside Pakistan’s air and sea ports.
Gwadar is a deep-sea port in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, near the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistani officials have long highlighted its geostrategic location as the shortest trade route to the Gulf and Central Asia, with the potential to become a regional transshipment hub.
A specialized vessel, carrying 35 pieces of general transshipment cargo, berthed at Gwadar port, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Sunday.
“The development marks a significant operational milestone and reflects a growing trend of international maritime operators redirecting cargo flows toward Pakistan’s southwestern coastline,” Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry was quoted as saying by the PID.
Chaudhry described Gwadar port as a “secure and strategic” maritime hub, offering global shipping lines free storage and a safer alternative to Gulf routes disrupted by the US-Israel war on Iran, the PID said.
Chaudhry said Gwadar port has the capacity to handle up to 16,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containerized cargo, along with 90,000 square meters designated for general cargo storage.
“With a combination of financial incentives, expanding capacity and a comparatively stable environment, the port is steadily advancing toward becoming a key regional trade hub,” Chaudhry said.
The port of Gwadar is a central component of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, under which Beijing has invested tens of billions of dollars in transport, energy and infrastructure projects across Pakistan.
Pakistan has long viewed the deep-sea port as a strategic asset to boost trade with Central Asia and the Gulf, while generating valuable foreign exchange earnings.
