The minister for maritime affairs in Pakistan has proposed setting up a one-stop business facilitation center to bring port-related services for exporters and importers under one roof.
The federal minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry proposed while chairing a meeting to review progress on port-related projects.
The federal minister said the proposed Maritime Business Facilitation Centre would help reduce delays and simplify procedures for businesses involved in international trade.
The center would bring officials from relevant government departments and maritime organizations together at a single location. Businesses would be able to submit applications and access several port-related services without having to visit different offices.
Each participating organization would appoint a focal person to assist businesses, while an integrated system linked to their main offices would allow applications and cases to be processed and tracked, the minister said.
Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said the initiative could reduce costs related to trucking, containers, storage, demurrage, vessel delays and administrative procedures, benefiting all enterprises, exporters, importers and particularly first-time users of port services, according to the minister.
The minister also said standardizing procedures could improve fee collection and reduce leakages, while higher trade volumes could generate additional revenue from port services, cargo handling, customs-related activity and associated logistics.
The proposed center is intended to improve coordination among maritime-sector organizations, reduce procedural bottlenecks and make port services more accessible to businesses engaged in international trade.
Junaid Chaudhry has called a meeting of government departments and maritime-sector stakeholders to seek their input on the center’s structure and operations.
The minister directed officials to consult all relevant stakeholders and incorporate their recommendations into the proposal to ensure the facility addresses the operational needs of exporters and importers.
