ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan Customs has claimed the implementation of official bank exchange rates for shipping charges, effectively ending the long-standing practice of arbitrary and excessive billing by international shipping lines.

An official announcement of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has termed this a historic and industry-wide breakthrough by ensuring the application of official bank exchange rates for shipping charges.

The All Pakistan Shi­pping Association through a formal communication on Jan 12, has confirmed that all member shipping lines are now charging shipping fees strictly on the basis of exchange rates provided by their respective authorised commercial banks, in accordance with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) regulations.

This decisive development follows sustained engagement by a high-level committee constituted by Pakistan Cus­toms, which held extensive consultations with shipping agents, terminal operators, trade bodies, and international shipping lines.

As a key milestone, Maersk — the largest shipping line operating in Pakistan and handling nearly 26 per cent of the country’s total cargo — earlier began applying official bank exchange rates.

According to the announcement, written confirmations of compliance have been received from major international shipping lines and their local agents, including Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, COSCO Shipping, CMA CGM, Mediterranean Shipping Company, OOCL, and United Marine Agencies, among others, establishing full industry-wide ad­herence to SBP-compliant exchange rates.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2026