ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan said on Friday that his ministry is exploring the possibility of introducing ferry-based shipping services with Yemen to cut freight costs and boost bilateral, regional trade. 

Pakistan has been attempting to enhance its ferry-based services with Middle Eastern countries in recent months. Islamabad granted its first-ever ferry service license to an international operator, Sea Keepers, for routes connecting Pakistan with Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in August. Last month, Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved a ferry service to Oman from the southwestern port of Gwadar to boost trade and tourism.

Khan met Yemen’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Mohammed Motahar Alashabi, in Islamabad on Friday where both sides discussed enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

“Jam Kamal highlighted the importance of creating efficient, low-cost logistics channels for small and medium enterprises and informed H.E. Alashabi that the ministry is examining the introduction of ferry-based small shipping services to reduce freight costs and improve turnaround time for regional trade,” the commerce ministry said. 

“Both sides expressed confidence that sustained dialogue, improved logistics, and revival of formal cooperation mechanisms will help unlock new opportunities for trade and investment between Pakistan and Yemen.”

Alashabi expressed Yemen’s desire to expand commercial engagement with Pakistan, the commerce ministry said, stressing that Yemen continues to regard Islamabad as a “trusted partner” despite logistical and regional challenges in recent years.

He said nearly 300 Yemeni students are studying in Pakistan, highlighting strong people-to-people ties and confidence in Pakistan’s educational institutions. He stressed the need to revive bilateral agreements and strengthen mechanisms to boost trade between the nations. 

Kamal said Pakistan placed a lot of emphasis on expanding trade with regional and nearby markets, adding that Pakistan’s growing entrepreneurial and SME sectors could benefit from improved access to close-proximity markets such as Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Oman.