Cargo handling activities at Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Port Qasim Authority (PQA) recorded an impressive growth of 25 per cent and 13.72pc in FY21 owing to 18pc and 26pc rise in the country’s exports and imports, respectively. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), exports in FY21 soared to $25.3 billion from $22bn in FY20 while imports stood at $56bn as against $44.5bn in FY20, thus keeping goods movement at twin ports alive amid issues like lockdown, port congestion, higher freight charges, etc all over the world. A senior maritime official said despite Covid-related challenges, Pakistan’s trade remained progressive on the back of their achievement with an initiative of imposing smart lockdowns and keeping logistics moving. On the other hand, all Pakistani ports ensured business continuity and alleviate the pandemic impact on the maritime sector. However, the downside was the traditional ports facing congestion and efficiency issues in delivery service to the end-users and increase cost to shipping lines, whereas Hutchison Ports Pakistan (HPP), the only deep water container port, remained productive with its cutting-edge technology and modern infrastructure. This has helped other terminals and trade in reducing congestion impact by handling the extra vessel calls at HPP.