MINISTER FOR PORTS AND SHIPPING – “NO AID BUT TRADE ONLY” PASSENGER SHIP TO START OPERATION FROM NEXT MONTH: KAMRAN MICHAEL CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA (ACT – 1882) TO BE AMENDED: KAMRAN MICHAEL
The delegation of All Pakistan Shipping Association (APSA), including Chairman APSA Captain S. Mushtaq Ali Shah, Senior Vice Chairman APSA Mr. Abdullah Farrukh, Vice Chairman APSA Syed Raza Kazmi & Secretary General APSA Mr. Riaz Ahmed called on Minister for Ports and Shipping Senator Kamran Michael and Chairman KPT Vice Admiral Shafqat Jawed for a meeting to discuss issues of mutual concerns.
The Senator Kamran Michael commended the role played by the APSA towards increasing Pakistani trade activities. He asked the delegation to attract more shipping lines towards the Pakistani ports where more facilities are available to the port users. He stressed on having partnership to increase the trade activities of Pakistan, especially the exports sector which earns revenues for the national exchequer and that it also reflects on trade balances side of the balance sheet. While reflecting on government’s motives, Senator Kamran Michael said that we believe in trade not aid and that our ports are the hub of the region. He said that we are coming up with many projects and that we are starting passenger ship from Karachi Port, Pakistan to Chahbahar Port, Iran, next month. Similarly, we are starting speedy boat service for the transportation of perishable items from Karachi to Gulf countries and that we are also in process of revising our tariff rates, the Minister added. He further informed the Shipping Association delegation that his ministry is working on initiating projects on prime locations of ports to stop from being encroached by land mafia on one hand and on the other to attract foreign investments for the construction of multipurpose projects through public private partnership.
With regards to the long pending “Carriage of goods by sea – Act – 1882” in his ministry, the Minister Kamran Michael informed the said delegation of shipping company owners that the changes will get incorporated in the Act soon. The matter will be taken to the Assembly and revision and updating the act is required to meet the modern days’ requirements.
The Minister Kamran Michael informed the delegation that the new deep water container port will get commissioned next year. For such development programmes, KPT is gradually recovering its encroached land and that so far 70 acres of land has been recovered. While pointing out towards the projection of marine environment of the coastline, the Minister stressed on having mangrove forests and in this regard he also pointed out to the delegates that plantation of 100,000 mangroves saplings will take place by KPT in a single month starting from 24th May 2014.