Karachi to Chittagong shipping route marks rebuilding ties

The first cargo ship in decades to sail directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh successfully unloaded its containers, port officials said.

The 182-meter (597-foot) long container ship — the Panama-flagged Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan — had sailed from Pakistan’s Karachi to Bangladesh’s Chittagong.

Top Chittagong port official Omar Faruq confirmed that the ship had unloaded its cargo on Nov. 11 before departing.

Pakistan’s envoy to Dhaka, Syed Ahmed Maroof, sparked widespread discussion on social media in Bangladesh when he said after the docking that the direct shipping route was “a major step” in boosting trade across the region.

The route will “promote new opportunities for businesses on both sides,” Maroof wrote on Facebook.

Chittagong port authorities said the ship brought goods from Pakistan and the UAE, including raw materials for Bangladesh’s key garment industry and basic foodstuffs.

In September, Bangladesh eased import restrictions on Pakistani goods, which previously required a mandatory physical inspection upon arrival, which resulted in long delays.

Before traveling to Bangladesh, Pakistani goods had to be off-loaded onto feeder vessels — usually in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, or Singapore.