The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has initiated urgent measures to tackle severe congestion at Port Qasim, where sluggish sugar offloading has created a major bottleneck, critically impeding the export of cement and other key commodities.

The action follows a high-level meeting on Saturday, chaired by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, to review the growing logistical crisis and its impact on the nation’s export activities, particularly cement and clinker shipments.

The assembly brought together top officials, including Secretary Maritime Affairs Syed Zafar Ali Shah, Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul, Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Chairman Rear Admiral (Retd.) Syed Moazzam Ilyas, and representatives of the Cement Exporters Association led by Arif Habib.

Minister Chaudhry stressed the necessity of enhancing operational efficiency across all ports and ensuring smooth coordination among agencies to prevent disruptions in the national supply chain.

During the briefing, officials revealed that sugar was being discharged at a pace far below the port’s capacity. The minister directed the PQA to immediately improve unloading operations to align with its potential discharge rate of 4,000 to 4,500 tons per day.

The meeting also reviewed a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office to divert up to 60 percent of sugar imports to Gwadar Port, a strategic move intended to ease the immense pressure on Karachi’s terminals.

To ensure fairness and prevent further delays to export-bound cargo, it was decided that all vessels at Port Qasim and Karachi Port will now be berthed strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Port authorities were also tasked with imposing penalties for any avoidable delays.

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) received instructions to improve its operational planning and coordinate vessel arrivals more effectively with port authorities.

Minister Chaudhry mandated that the TCP and other state importers must synchronize their freight movement plans with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs before cargo arrives. He emphasized that strict adherence to the new measures would be crucial to maintaining port efficiency and preventing future logistical breakdowns.