Federal Minister of Maritime Affairs, Syed Ali Haider Zaidi has said that Pakistan is mulling on expanding its shipping fleet through joint ventures to handle the effects of the global logistics crisis and take full advantage of its strategic geographic location.
“The country is in negotiations through a public-private mechanism to create joint ventures to expand into container shipping,” said the maritime minister, underlining that “the supply chain problems are faced by everyone and Pakistan is also affected. There are issues everywhere and this is one of the ways we are trying to deal with this in the long term”.
Mr. Zaidi further added that Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, which is a government organization, has a fleet of 11 ships including dry bulkers and oil tankers, and has now given out a tender for another four ships as well.
Initially, Pakistan would charter space on container ships “and test the market before we start the discussion on how many (container ships) we acquire”, he highlighted.
Port Hub for Landlocked Central Asian Countries:
Pakistan was also looking for ways to grow as a port hub for landlocked Central Asian countries, said Mr. Zaidi, and that it was crucial critical supplies reached neighboring Afghanistan after the Taliban’s victory in August.
“The world and the financial superpowers cannot and should not abandon Afghanistan. If they do, it will be a catastrophic humanitarian (crisis),” he said. “It is our moral obligation to help them.”
Coastline’s Strategic Location:
With a potentially strategic location for the three major ports of the country, Pakistan’s coastline stretches over 1000 kilometers(621 miles). It requires two days of sailing time from vital destinations in the Middle East and Africa and its western seashore is close to the Strait of Hormuz oil chokepoint.
The heavy rise in demand for retail goods from people stuck at home due to covid lockdowns and the shortage in cargo containers, truck drivers, and warehouse staff has caused bottlenecks around the globe, which are set to continue into 2022.