Islamabad, June 20, 2025: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the preparation of a comprehensive business plan for the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) aimed at reducing the country’s annual $4 billion expenditure on maritime trade.
Chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Friday, the premier tasked the relevant authorities to submit the plan within two weeks. He emphasized that the strategy must outline measures to lessen the financial burden on the national exchequer through expansion and modernization of the national shipping fleet.
“Due to a limited number of ships in the PNSC fleet, Pakistan incurs around $4 billion each year in foreign shipping costs,” Prime Minister Shehbaz noted during the meeting.
He also instructed officials to explore leasing options for acquiring additional vessels to expand the PNSC’s operational capacity.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, and senior officials from the PNSC. During a performance briefing, the prime minister was informed that the corporation currently operates a fleet of 10 ships with a combined cargo-carrying capacity of 724,643 tonnes.
The directive comes as part of the government’s broader push to strengthen the maritime sector and unlock what PM Shehbaz recently called Pakistan’s “new economic frontier”—the blue economy.
The initiative is expected to reduce reliance on foreign shipping lines, enhance trade efficiency, and contribute to long-term economic sustainability.
