Karachi Port
Port Authority
Karachi Port is Pakistan's oldest and busiest deep-water port, and the point most of the country's sea trade actually passes through. Below: the terminals operating inside it, and how Maalbardaar clears cargo through each one.
About Karachi Port
Karachi Port has operated in its present institutional form since 1 April 1887, when Karachi Port Trust took over responsibility from the earlier Karachi Harbour Board. It sits directly on the Arabian Sea coastline at Karachi and remains, well over a century later, the busiest and most significant deep-water port in Pakistan.
The port authority itself, KPT, is a federally administered statutory body under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. It does not operate container terminals directly — that work is carried out by separate concessionaires under long-term build-operate-transfer or similar agreements, each responsible for their own berths, cranes and yard equipment. Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTL) and South Asia Pakistan Terminals (SAPT) all operate within KPT’s jurisdiction today, and Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT) did so until its concession ended in 2023.
For anyone shipping into or out of Pakistan, “Karachi Port” on a bill of lading usually means one specific terminal within this larger complex rather than a single undifferentiated facility — which is why the individual terminal pages linked below matter more than this overview page for anything operational.
Karachi Port: what to know before you ship
“Karachi Port” is not one terminal. Documentation naming Karachi Port as the discharge point will specify a terminal somewhere else in the paperwork — usually in the booking confirmation or the terminal handling instructions. Knowing which one determines which gate, which customs house desk, and which operator’s systems your cargo actually passes through.
Depth is not uniform across the port. The deepest berths reach roughly 16 metres, but the average alongside most berths is closer to 11 metres. This matters for vessel size — not every berth can take the largest container ships, which is one reason newer terminals were built with deeper, dredged berths from the outset.
It is not the only port serving Karachi. Port Qasim, roughly 35 kilometres east, is a separate port authority with its own terminals, including QICT. Cargo destined for “Karachi” can arrive at either, and the customs and collection arrangements differ by port.
Clearing and forwarding cargo through Karachi Port
Customs clearance
Our licensed clearing agents file your Goods Declaration through WeBOC and Pakistan Single Window for cargo moving through Karachi Port, with HS code classification handled up front to reduce assessment delays and demurrage risk.
Customs clearance services arrow_forwardFreight forwarding
Whether your shipment is arriving by sea or air, we coordinate the booking, inland pickup and CFS/CY delivery so cargo destined for Karachi Port lands where it needs to be — and moves on schedule once it clears.
Freight forwarding services arrow_forwardKarachi Port questions
What is Karachi Port Trust?
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A federally administered statutory body under Pakistan's Ministry of Maritime Affairs, established under an 1886 Act and operating since 1 April 1887. KPT is the port authority — it does not itself run container terminals, which are operated by separate concessionaires under long-term agreements.
Which terminals operate inside Karachi Port?
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Several container and cargo terminals sit within KPT's jurisdiction, including Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT), Karachi Gateway Terminal (KGTL), South Asia Pakistan Terminals (SAPT), and historically Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT), whose concession ended in 2023. Each is run by a different operator under its own concession with KPT.
How deep is Karachi Port?
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Depth varies by berth. The deepest berths reach around 16 metres, while the average depth alongside most berths is closer to 11 metres — enough for the large container vessels calling at the newer terminals, though not uniform across the whole port.
Is Karachi Port the same as Port Qasim?
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No — they are two separate ports about 35 kilometres apart. Karachi Port sits directly on the Karachi coastline and is the older, historically dominant facility. Port Qasim, further east on Phitti Creek, was built later to add capacity and hosts its own set of terminals, including QICT.
How old is Karachi Port?
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It has operated in its modern form since 1 April 1887, when Karachi Port Trust took over from the earlier Karachi Harbour Board under an 1886 Act of the colonial legislature — making it well over a century old.
Does Maalbardaar handle customs clearance at Karachi Port?
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Yes. Our licensed clearing agents file Goods Declarations through WeBOC and Pakistan Single Window for cargo arriving at any terminal within Karachi Port, and we coordinate freight forwarding into and out of the port as part of the same booking.
Shipping through Karachi Port?
Get a quote for customs clearance and freight forwarding through this facility, handled by a licensed local team.
Shipping through somewhere other than Karachi Port?
Ports
Operators
Maalbardaar provides customs clearance and freight forwarding services for cargo moving through Karachi Port. We are not affiliated with Karachi Port Trust (KPT) or with the operator or authority of this facility, and this page is independent, informational content rather than an official listing. For official information, visit Karachi Port's own website . Facility data sources: Karachi Port Trust official site (kpt.gov.pk) and Wikipedia's Karachi Port Trust / Port of Karachi entries, cross-checked. Established under Act IV of 1886, formally operating from 1 April 1887, succeeding the earlier Karachi Harbour Board. Exact current berth count and a dated annual throughput figure could not be confirmed to a single consistent source — described qualitatively rather than published as an exact number.