Pakistan's Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) is actively promoting the deep-sea port on Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan coast as a secure trade alternative should conflict or sanctions disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil passes. GPA Chairman Noorul Haq Baloch told members of the All Pakistan Shipping Association that Gwadar's location offers significantly shorter overland access to eastern Iran and Central Asia than other Pakistani ports, and that the facility provides investor incentives including tax exemptions, duty-free machinery imports, and up to 30 days of free cargo storage. An Iranian trade delegation is expected to visit Gwadar soon, signalling growing regional interest in the port as a logistics hub.