KARACHI: Pakistan is seeing a surge in port activity as vessels divert from Gulf transshipment hubs due to disruption caused by the Middle East conflict, with cargo volumes rising sharply at its main ports, according to officials and data seen by Arab News on Wednesday.
The increase comes as fighting involving the United States, Israel and Iran has unsettled shipping routes, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting shipping lines to reroute cargo to alternative ports, including in Pakistan.
At Karachi Port, daily cargo handling reached 168,850 tons on Mar. 31, compared with 57,198 tons on the same day last year, according to Karachi Port Trust (KPT) data, indicating a sharp spike in activity.
Vessels, mostly carrying containerized cargo, are being diverted from major Gulf transshipment hubs including Jebel Ali, Fujairah and Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates and Salalah in Oman, officials said.
“The transshipment cargoes of various regional hubs have been diverted to Pakistan, which Karachi Port is handling,” KPT spokesperson Shariq Amin Farooqui told Arab News.
