Maritime Affairs Minister Orders Steps to Ease Textile Export Delays at Ports

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has instructed authorities to streamline customs and port procedures to help reduce clearance delays and enable more predictable transit times for Pakistan’s textile exports.

Chairing a meeting on textile exporters’ port-related challenges, the minister was joined by representatives from the export industry, port authorities, Customs, government departments, and other stakeholders.

Junaid Chaudhry highlighted the importance of exporters timely filing Goods Declarations and completing necessary documentation to ensure smooth cargo clearance. Customs and port authorities gave an overview of current clearance steps and discussed areas to boost operational efficiency and reduce cargo dwell time.

A review of the consignments selected for scanning was conducted, where the minister noted that scanning should be scheduled efficiently to avoid undue delays while meeting regulatory and security standards. He directed Customs to assess the scanning process and streamline operations to identify sources of holdup.

The minister also encouraged greater use of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and electronic processing to enable rapid clearance upon cargo arrival. Authorities were told to look into existing procedures and find ways to reduce processing time, particularly through digitalisation and advance filing.

Exporters at the meeting raised concerns over increased transit times due to disruptions in global shipping routes, especially those connected to the situation in the Red Sea. These include longer journeys and route changes for vessels, which have complicated shipment timelines.

To address these issues, Junaid said both immediate and long-term measures were needed to improve shipping connectivity and port operations. It was decided that follow-up discussions among Customs, exporters, and the PSW stakeholders would take place to tackle cargo dwell time and scanning issues. The minister underscored the importance of prompt actions to alleviate bottlenecks at ports, supporting the global competitiveness of Pakistan’s textile exports.