PNSC Oil Tankers Safely Reach Karachi Under Pakistan Navy Escort

Karachi Port – (Web Desk) – Two ships carrying a large supply of oil have safely arrived in Karachi, bringing some relief at a time when many countries are worried about fuel shortages. Officials from the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation said the vessels were carrying between 100 and 120 million liters of oil. The ships reached the port on Friday.

The vessels were escorted by the Pakistan Navy to make sure they reached safely. This security step was taken after recent attacks on ships in nearby waters, which raised concerns about the safety of sea travel in the region.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar thanked the navy for helping bring the ships safely to Karachi. He also said the government has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact Iran about two other vessels that are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

At the same time, the Pakistan Navy has started an operation called Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr. The goal is to protect Pakistan’s ships and trade routes at sea. The navy wants to make sure the country continues to receive energy supplies without delay.

These steps come during a tense time in the Middle East. Fighting involving Iran, the United States, and Israel has disturbed shipping in the region. The situation has also affected traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important oil routes in the world. Nearly one fifth of the world’s oil moves through this narrow waterway.

Reports say some fuel tankers in nearby waters were attacked and set on fire. One crew member was killed in the incident. Because of these dangers, shipping in the Gulf area has slowed down a lot. Since late February, oil prices around the world have also gone up sharply.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that if attacks on Iran continue, they could stop oil shipments from leaving the Middle East for their rivals. This warning has raised serious concerns about global energy supplies.

According to the International Energy Agency, the ongoing conflict could cause one of the biggest oil supply disruptions in history. The agency says global oil supply may drop by about eight million barrels per day in March. This is almost eight percent of the world’s daily demand.

For now, the safe arrival of the oil vessels in Karachi is seen as a positive sign. It helps ease some worries about fuel supplies in Pakistan during a time of rising global tension.

The vessels targeted in Wednesday’s late-night attacks in the Gulf near Iraq were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Malta-flagged Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi ​port officials said.

The outlook from the IEA, which advises industrialised countries, contrasts with its earlier warnings of a sizeable surplus on the market for the first quarter of 2026.

Middle East Gulf countries including Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have cut total oil production by at least 10 million barrels per day as a result of the conflict, the IEA said, adding that without a rapid restart of shipping flows these losses were set to increase.

Pakistan’s foreign reserves climb to nearly $21.6 billion

In response, Islamabad has taken emergency measures to cushion the economic impact, including a historic Rs55 per litre hike in petrol and diesel prices, regular weekly reviews of fuel rates, and a series of austerity and fuel‑conservation directives aimed at reducing non‑essential consumption as the crisis persists.

The new price of petrol was set at Rs321.17 per litre, up from Rs266.17, while the diesel rate increased to Rs335.86 per litre from Rs280.86 after the latest review.

Meanwhile, the country has also commenced import of crude oil through the Red Sea route after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.