Pakistan’s Maritime Minister Buoys Idea of Increasing Port Capacities
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government is in the process of updating its National Maritime Policy (NMP), which will be valid up to 2047. But the exercise could be delayed owing to coordination with the other ministries and provincial administrations.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has initiated consultations with all stakeholders to revise the policy. Among the main objectives of the NMP 2025 is to realize the potential of transit trade with Central Asia. For this, coordination between the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan is essential, as most maritime-related functions are under provincial control.
The policy also involves substantial inputs from ministries like Defence, Defence Production, and Commerce.
Emphasis on Central Asia’s Economic Growth
At a conference held on Friday, Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh highlighted the need for a new, comprehensive maritime policy to capitalize on the economic growth of Central Asian countries. He pointed out that Pakistan’s ports are currently only operating at 50% of their full capacity. With increasing imports and exports, port utilization is expected to rise significantly.
Mr. Shaikh stressed that Central Asia’s expanding economies are a special opportunity for Pakistan as the countries do not have access to seas. He further said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Central Asian countries was to develop new business avenues.
The minister stressed the importance of upgrading Pakistan’s ports to handle larger ships, including those carrying up to 20,000 containers. Pakistan is already attracting interest from international maritime companies and investors.
Target to Boost Maritime Sector Contribution
The international average contribution of the maritime sector to GDP is around 7%, and Pakistan aims to reach 5% of its GDP from the sector. While the maritime sector incurred billions of rupees in losses during last year, the government has planned to have Rs 100 billion worth of profits in the current year.
The minister further stated that 60% of all the country’s official imports and exports will be channeled through the Gwadar Port. To do this, Gwadar Port needs to be upgraded to provide world-class facilities and be a modern, fully functional deep-sea port.
Collaboration and Strategy for the Blue Economy
The conference, which the Ministry of Maritime Affairs hosted, was a forum for cooperation and inputs from government and private sector stakeholders. The meeting addressed several dimensions of the maritime sector, including marine pollution, marine tourism, shipbuilding, fisheries, and international cooperation.
Officials also deliberated on the growth of Pakistan’s blue economy, such as shipbuilding, offshore renewable energy, deep-sea exploration, aquaculture, and marine biotechnology. Developing Pakistan’s merchant fleet and improving the capability of Gwadar Port as a regional trade center under CPEC were also major agenda items.
Secondly, the development of marine protected areas to 30% of Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the consolidation of the National Marine Disaster Contingency Plan were highlighted to safeguard marine ecosystems. The establishment of shipyards at Gwadar and Port Qasim was also seen as a strategic move to increase Pakistan’s shipbuilding and repair sector.
Experts pointed to the difficulty of marketing such industries and talked about how to obtain Blue Flag status for Pakistan’s beaches, which would boost ecotourism.
