Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, has announced the formation of a high-level committee aimed at reducing container dwell time at Pakistani ports by up to 70 percent.

The goal is to cut the current average clearance time from one week to just two days.

The announcement was made during a high-level meeting held at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) headquarters.

The session was chaired by the minister and attended by FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, along with senior officials and technical representatives from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, FBR, Pakistan Customs, and the Karachi Port Trust (KPT).

The newly formed committee will be led by Umer Zafar Sheikh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. It will include representatives from all key stakeholders, including the Karachi Port Trust, terminal operators, Pakistan Customs, FBR, and other relevant departments and ministries.

The committee has been assigned the task of identifying practical steps to remove procedural bottlenecks and streamline cargo clearance processes. It is expected to submit a detailed set of recommendations within ten days.

The minister also announced the establishment of a monitoring room at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, which will oversee container handling operations in real-time.

A dedicated team will be responsible for managing and tracking the movement and timing of containers.

The use of drones and artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be introduced to monitor operations from vessel docking to the container’s final exit from the terminal.

Minister Junaid Chaudhry stated that this initiative is part of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s directives and emphasized that reducing dwell time is a strategic move to boost port efficiency, cut logistics costs, and improve Pakistan’s competitiveness in regional trade.

He noted that ongoing delays in container release have increased costs for importers and exporters, weakening the position of Pakistani ports in global trade.

The minister stressed that the government is committed to reducing port congestion and enhancing the role of maritime logistics in achieving national economic goals.