Concluding a three days technical level talks between India and Pakistan, both parties have agreed to revise present shipping protocol. The revised protocol is expected to enhance tonnage under both the flags and also result in competitive shipping rates.

Addressing a joint press conference - Mr. Susheel Kumar, joint secretary (shipping) in Indian ministry of shipping, road transport and highways and S M Hasan Zaidi, joint secretary in Pakistan's ministry of ports and shipping, said the revised protocol would allow Pakistani ships to carry cargo from Indian ports and the Indian side would have the same facility.

The agreement would also generate new employment opportunities for seamen, said Anwar Shah, Pakistan's director general of ports and shipping. He added that fresh investments would flow into the Pakistani shipping industry that would help boost the country's economy. According to a joint communiqué, both sides reviewed the Shipping Protocol of 1975 with a view to improving its provisions. They agreed to delete paragraphs 3 and 5 of the 1975 protocol, which restricted the lifting of cargo between the two countries by third country vessels as well as lifting of third country cargo by Indian and Pakistani flag vessels from each other's ports.