End of trucker strike provides port relief in Karachi

A week-long strike in Karachi, Pakistan, by truck drivers protesting high diesel fuel prices and poor security from looters has ended, according to a customer bulletin from Seattle-based forwarder Expeditors International and local media outlets. 

The transport strike is estimated to have stranded about 5,000 import containers and 2,000 export containers. Further cargo delays are expected as the terminals work to whittle down the backlog.

A major trucking union said the strike was lifted after government assurances that it would address their concerns. The government has cut fuel subsidies in recent months to combat a widening budget deficit. Officials agreed to reduce diesel fuel prices if crude oil prices decline, temporarily reduce highway tolls for freight carriers, find alternative routes for freight along the congested coastal corridor, and set up highway checkpoints to deter cargo theft.

Source: American Shipper