Karachi Port hits record shipping connectivity of 343.02, Pakistan now 34th

Karachi Port has posted its highest ever Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index score, 343.02 for the second quarter of 2026. Pakistan's national Liner Shipping Connectivity Index ranking moved up one place, from 35th to 34th.

The index measures how well a port is plugged into the world's container shipping network: the number of services calling, the number of shipping lines, the size of the largest vessel, total capacity deployed and direct connections to other ports. It is compiled from data on roughly 900 ports.

The quarterly track

The jump from Q1 to Q2 is more than 33 points, and it breaks out of a range the port had been bouncing around in for six quarters. Federal Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said the improvement could support trade flows, improve access to international markets and let Pakistani businesses connect more efficiently with global supply chains.

Why an importer should care

Connectivity is not an abstract score. It decides three things that show up on an invoice.

Transhipment. A poorly connected port means your container is unloaded at Jebel Ali, Colombo or Salalah and waits for a feeder vessel. Every transhipment adds handling charges and days. More direct services means fewer boxes taking that detour.

Freight rates. More carriers calling at the same port means more competition for the same cargo. Lines do not cut rates out of goodwill, but a shipper with five options negotiates differently from a shipper with two.

Lead time and working capital. Days at sea are days your money is sitting in a container. For a Karachi importer running on a bank facility, shaving a week off a China lane is a real financing saving, not a rounding error.

The caveat

One quarter is one quarter. Karachi's score fell back after previous highs, in Q3 2025 most visibly, and the index is sensitive to a single large carrier adding or dropping a service. The rank moving from 35 to 34 is a one-place gain, not a structural shift. What would confirm it is a second and third quarter holding above 340.

The rupee side

Whatever the freight rate does, the landed cost of an import is settled in rupees. The dollar is at Rs 277.28 today, and the rupee's level moves the cost of a container far faster than any connectivity index does. Track it on our dollar rate page, and use the currency converter when you are pricing an invoice.