KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday invited Uzbek industry and trade stakeholders to consider operating dedicated off-dock terminals at Karachi Port, according to an official statement, as the country looks to expand the use of its maritime infrastructure for regional trade.

The offer was made during a visit by a 13-member delegation from Uzbekistan to the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), where officials briefed them on port infrastructure, terminal operations and logistics-related investment opportunities.

Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, the KPT chairman, highlighted ongoing development initiatives, rail and road connectivity and terminal operations.

“In this context, the Chairman invited Uzbek industry and trade stakeholders to consider operating dedicated off dock terminals at Karachi Port to facilitate their import and export operations,” the statement said.

Off-dock terminals are cargo handling and storage facilities located outside a port’s boundaries but connected to it by road or rail to ease congestion and support import and export operations.

The visiting delegation, led by Deputy Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade Gulamov Shokhrukh Khasanovich, also toured private terminals at Karachi Port and was briefed on the use of modern technologies at the facilities.

Pakistan has been offering landlocked Central Asian economies access to global sea lanes through its ports on the Arabian Sea and hopes to position itself as a transshipment hub by strengthening port infrastructure.

Officials say transshipment hubs enable the transfer of cargo from one vessel to another, facilitating regional and international trade and generating revenue.

As part of its port modernization drive, Pakistan has engaged Abu Dhabi Ports Group to upgrade its maritime infrastructure.