Pakistan has launched a major plan to modernize Port Qasim, with around $2 billion in new investment expected to upgrade infrastructure, expand industrial facilities and improve the country’s trade and logistics network.

The funding, expected from the UAE, Türkiye, Qatar and China, will be invested under a 30-year master plan to transform Pakistan’s second-largest commercial port into a modern maritime hub.

$250 Million Dredging Project Underway

The first phase of a $250 million dredging project has already begun, Port Qasim Authority Chairman Rear Admiral (Retd.) Moazzam Ilyas said.

The project will increase the navigation channel’s depth, allowing vessels with a draft of up to 18 metres to berth at the port and significantly boosting its cargo-handling capacity.

Reko Diq Rail Link Takes Shape

Construction has also started on a railway connection linking the Reko Diq mining project with Port Qasim.

The Reko Diq Mining Company will invest $150 million at the port, while the new Pipri-Port Qasim railway line, being developed under the ML-1 project, will transport minerals from Reko Diq and is also planned to support future exports of Thar coal.

Integrated Logistics Network

Authorities are integrating road, rail and sea transport to speed up cargo movement and lower logistics costs.

A multi-logistics park at Pipri is expected to divert heavy freight away from Karachi’s major roads, easing congestion on Shahrah-e-Faisal, Shahrah-e-Bhutto, the Malir Expressway and the Northern Bypass, according to National Logistics Corporation Director Altaf Qadir Bajwa.

The government also plans to eventually connect Port Qasim, Karachi Port and Gwadar Port through an integrated transport network to strengthen Pakistan’s maritime trade infrastructure.

Several of the projects are scheduled for completion this year, while the remaining developments are expected to be finished over the next two years.