South Asia Times

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram Tiktok Linkedin

Ministry of Mari­time prepares draft of new shipping policy

Pakistan Shipping Policy 2024 draft aims to strengthen maritime sector, support shipowners, and offer investment incentives. [Representational image via Pakistan Today]

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has prepared a draft of the Pakistan Shipping Policy 2024, aimed at bolstering the maritime sector by providing financial security to registered shipowners and incentivizing investments.

The new policy will replace the Pakistan Merchant Marine Policy 2001 and its 2019 amended version.

The ministry convened a stakeholder workshop to deliberate on the proposed new shipping policy. The participants included the Maritime Affairs Secretary Syed Zafar Ali Shah, chairpersons of port authorities, senior officials from the maritime affairs ministry, and representatives from the private sector.

The new shipping policy legislation requires ship owners to furnish adequate bonds. This applies if authorities detain or seize their registered vessels within Pakistan’s territorial jurisdiction. Ship owners must provide these bonds within 24 hours of the seizure.

The Maritime Affairs Secretary informed workshop participants that the Shipping Policy 2024 aligns with International Maritime Organisation standards and regulations.

a notable point was that the government should ensure it returns the bail bonds within one month if it settles the case.

In this regard, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs should establish a help desk and set up special maritime courts with powers equal to high courts.

Also See: Pakistan: A Nation with Sea but with Sea Blindness

Key Proposals

The draft policy proposes that newly registered Pakistani shipping companies pay $0.75 per gross registered tonnage for five years. This is compared to the current $1 paid by the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation. The $0.25 rebate aims to encourage domestic and national investors to engage with the maritime industry.

Furthermore, the draft proposes allowing registered Pakistani shipping companies to seek financing from foreign financial institutions and banks.

Workshop participants proposed granting a 10-year tax exemption to new foreign shipping companies. They also called for state authorities to assist Pakistani shipping companies in opening foreign currency accounts.

This news is sourced from Pakistan Today and is intended for informational purposes only.

Picture of News Desk

News Desk

Your trusted source for insightful journalism. Stay informed with our compelling coverage of global affairs, business, technology, and more.

News Desk

Your trusted source for insightful journalism. Stay informed with our compelling coverage of global affairs, business, technology, and more.

Recent

An analysis of Qatar’s neutrality, Al Jazeera’s framing of Pakistan, and how narrative diplomacy shapes mediation and regional security in South Asia.

Qatar’s Dubious Neutrality and the Narrative Campaign Against Pakistan

Ibrahim Khalil December 26, 2025

Qatar’s role in South Asia illustrates how mediation and media narratives can quietly converge into instruments of influence. Through Al Jazeera’s selective framing of Pakistan’s security challenges and Doha’s unbalanced facilitation with the Taliban, neutrality risks becoming a performative posture rather than a principled practice. Mediation that avoids accountability does not resolve conflict, it entrenches it.

Read More »
An analysis of how Qatar’s mediation shifted from dialogue to patronage, legitimizing the Taliban and Hamas while eroding global counterterrorism norms.

From Dialogue to Patronage: How Qatar Mainstreamed Radical Movements Under the Banner of Mediation

Alisha Zahra December 26, 2025

Qatar’s diplomacy has long been framed as pragmatic engagement, but its mediation model has increasingly blurred into political patronage. By hosting and legitimizing groups such as the Taliban and Hamas without enforceable conditions, Doha has helped normalize armed movements in international politics, weakening counterterrorism norms and reshaping regional stability.

Read More »
AI, Extremism, and the Weaponization of Hate: Islamophobia in India

AI, Extremism, and the Weaponization of Hate: Islamophobia in India

Filza Asim December 26, 2025

AI is no longer a neutral tool in India’s digital space. A growing body of research shows how artificial intelligence is being deliberately weaponized to mass-produce Islamophobic narratives, normalize harassment, and amplify Hindutva extremism. As online hate increasingly spills into real-world violence, India’s AI-driven propaganda ecosystem raises urgent questions about accountability, democracy, and the future of pluralism.

Read More »
AQAP’s Threat to China: Pathways Through Al-Qaeda’s Global Network

AQAP’s Threat to China: Pathways Through Al-Qaeda’s Global Network

SAT Editorial Desk December 25, 2025

AQAP’s threat against China marks a shift from rhetoric to execution, rooted in Al-Qaeda’s decentralized global architecture. By using Afghanistan as a coordination hub and relying on AQIS, TTP, and Uyghur militants of the Turkistan Islamic Party as local enablers, the threat is designed to be carried out far beyond Yemen. From CPEC projects in Pakistan to Chinese interests in Central Asia and Africa, the networked nature of Al-Qaeda allows a geographically dispersed yet strategically aligned campaign against Beijing.

Read More »
The Enduring Consequences of America’s Exit from Afghanistan

The Enduring Consequences of America’s Exit from Afghanistan

SAT Commentary December 25, 2025

The 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan was more than the end of a long war, it was a poorly executed exit that triggered the rapid collapse of the Afghan state. The fall of Kabul, the Abbey Gate attack, and the return of militant groups exposed serious gaps in planning and coordination.

Read More »