Spokesman Report
ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Task Force on Maritime Reforms has achieved significant progress in transforming Pakistan’s maritime sector, successfully completing 85 out of 99 reform initiatives within one and a half years.
The Reform Implementation Committee, established in December 2024 under the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Maritime Reforms, comprised experts from the Ministry of Defence, maritime and logistics sectors—including the National Logistics Corporation (NLC)—as well as representatives from other relevant institutions.
The Task Force introduced a comprehensive roadmap featuring 99 reforms aimed at modernizing the country’s maritime industry. The committee initiated reforms across key areas, including port master planning, shipping, shipbuilding, ship recycling, and fisheries.
According to official details, 85 reform action points have been completed, while 11 of the remaining initiatives are in the final stages of implementation. Work on the remaining three reforms is continuing under a long-term strategy.
Among the major achievements are the preparation of the National Ports Master Plan, implementation of a uniform port tariff, improvements in transit trade, increased port capacity, deployment of a modern monitoring system for economic zones, and the removal of encroachments from Karachi Port land.
The reforms also introduced new customs rules for transshipment and bunkering, while strengthening local shipbuilding and ship repair infrastructure.
In the fisheries sector, a five-year provincial development plan has been finalized, and ship recycling operations have resumed after an eight-year hiatus.
As part of efforts to enhance self-reliance in port dredging, the government has also established the National Dredging and Marine Services, marking another key milestone in Pakistan’s maritime reform agenda.
