KARACHI: Pakistan’s maritime sector posted a record Rs100 billion ($360 million) profit in 2025 following a year of sweeping reforms, Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Saturday.

In recent years, Islamabad has taken a number of reforms to improve port efficiency, cut costs and cleared long-delayed policies to position the South Asian country as a regional trade and logistics hub.

Outlining his ministry’s annual performance, Chaudhry described 2025 as a “transformative year” marked by more than two dozen initiatives spanning legislation, digitization, infrastructure development and human resources.

In 2025, Karachi Port handled a record 54 million tons of cargo, while average vessel dwell time was cut by 24-36 hours through closer coordination among port authorities, customs and other agencies aimed at an average turnaround of five days, according to the minister.

“These reforms are modernizing our ports, shipping and fisheries to unlock the true potential of the blue economy,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan had aligned its regulatory framework with international standards, including conventions of the International Maritime Organization and the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling.

He said a central plank of the overhaul was the finalization of the National Maritime Policy, which brings shipping, ports, fisheries and maritime security under a single framework to guide sustainable growth.

“The government also approved a National Shipping Policy aimed at expanding the Pakistan-flagged fleet to reduce reliance on foreign carriers, a longstanding drain on foreign exchange,” he added.

Pakistan concluded stakeholder consultations on the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, which targets annual seafood exports of $2 billion and the creation of around two million jobs across coastal communities and allied industries, according to the minister.

Cost-cutting measures delivered substantial savings, Junaid Chaudhry said, and added: Reduced overtime at the Karachi Port Trust alone saved about Rs70 million a month, while the abolition of 2,152 redundant posts across maritime entities lowered human resource costs by billions of rupees.

“The Karachi Port Trust and the Port Qasim Authority reclaimed about 150 acres of encroached land valued at roughly Rs110 billion, while Port Qasim recovered an additional eight acres,” the minister stated.

Chaudhry said they introduced the Pakistan Maritime Century Framework 2047–2147 to advance the maritime sector, established an Artificial Intelligence Maritime Secretariat to monitor ports, shifted to paperless governance through a 100 percent e-office rollout, integrated the Pakistan Single Window with the Port Community System to streamline trade procedures, and introduced an electronic public asset disposal system to enhance transparency and efficiency.

The reform agenda supported several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including decent work and economic growth, industry and infrastructure, responsible consumption, life below water and strong institutions, according to the minister.

“Sustained implementation will be key to maintaining the momentum of these achievements, and the gains made in 2025 provide a strong foundation for turning Pakistan’s long coastline and strategic location into a durable blue economic advantage,” he added.