By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have launched a formal investigation into a collision between two foreign-flagged vessels just outside Karachi Port, officials said Friday, the latest test for the country’s ambitious efforts to position itself as a vital maritime and transshipment hub even as global shipping routes face fresh disruptions.
No one was killed or injured in the incident, which occurred late Wednesday night, and cargo operations at Pakistan’s busiest port continued without interruption, the officials said. The crash involved a cable-laying ship and another foreign vessel and was attributed to negligence by the captains of both ships, according to the government.
Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, in a detailed statement released on Friday, said the accident happened beyond the operational boundaries of Karachi Port. “There have been no reports of any loss of life or injuries in the accident involving two foreign vessels,” Chaudhry said. He added that the collision took place “due to negligence on the part of the masters of both vessels” and that a full inquiry is underway.
Chaudhry said port authorities immediately requested a comprehensive report on the episode and are examining its causes. The cable-laying vessel was safely escorted into the harbor with the help of tugboats from the Karachi Port Trust, he noted, praising the swift response of port personnel.
Vice Admiral Shahid Ahmed, chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, confirmed that normal maritime traffic had not been affected and that the damaged ship had received full technical and operational assistance. “The government and relevant institutions are fully mobilized to ensure maritime safety,” Chaudhry added.
The episode comes at a sensitive moment for Pakistan’s port strategy. Islamabad has poured billions into modernizing its harbors, particularly Karachi and Gwadar, in hopes of transforming them into major transshipment centers serving the landlocked republics of Central Asia. The government has aggressively marketed the facilities as efficient, secure gateways for goods moving between the Arabian Sea and the resource-rich but infrastructure-poor nations to the north. That push for greater regional relevance has taken on added urgency in recent months.
The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict has snarled energy shipments and rerouted commercial traffic, elevating the strategic value of Pakistani ports that sit just beyond the chokepoint. Friday’s official statements struck a note of reassurance. Both the minister and the port chairman underscored that the collision occurred well clear of the main shipping channels and berths, and that the rapid mobilization of tugboats prevented any escalation. The government, they said, remains committed to rigorous oversight even as it courts more international traffic.
No details were released about the identities of the two foreign vessels or the nationality of their crews. Maritime experts familiar with Karachi’s approaches said collisions in the congested waters outside the port are uncommon but not unprecedented, often linked to heavy traffic, fog, or human error.
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