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KARACHI: Pakistan is implementing a $100 billion maritime development plan aimed at expanding its national shipping fleet, building new ship repair and recycling facilities, overhauling fisheries and upgrading maritime education, Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Thursday.

Pakistan has a 1,046-km coastline along a major global trade route, but its maritime economy has remained underdeveloped for decades, with limited commercial fleet capacity, outdated port infrastructure and declining seafood exports. Successive governments have identified the blue economy as a potential driver of growth, energy security and climate resilience, but investment and execution have lagged.

“Under the Prime Minister’s guidance, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs is implementing the ‘Maritime @100’ vision, a $100 billion blue economy plan by 2047,” Chaudhry said at the closing ceremony of the flagship Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition and Conference (PIMEC) in Karachi.

“The sea is our next frontier for trade, prosperity, energy, food and climate resilience,” he said. “Pakistan’s future lies in the sea.”

As part of the plan, Pakistan’s first Green Ship Repair and Recycling Yard will be established at Port Qasim, one of the country’s main commercial ports near Karachi that already hosts major steel and industrial facilities. The project will be developed as part of an integrated “Sea to Steel Maritime Industrial Complex” designed to support the revival of Pakistan Steel Mills, the state-owned steelmaker that has remained largely non-operational for years.

Chaudhry said the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) fleet has increased from 10 to 12 ships, with three more expected within two months. Tenders for 12 additional vessels are underway, with the fleet targeted to reach 30 ships by 2026 and 60 within three years.

He said Pakistan had also granted its first private ferry operator license, opening sea routes for passenger movement and coastal trade.

On Gaddani, one of the world’s largest ship-breaking yards long criticized for unsafe conditions and environmental pollution, the minister said a Rs12 billion ($43 million) modernization program is underway to meet Hong Kong Convention safety and environmental standards, shifting toward cleaner and more regulated recycling capacity.

Chaudhry said the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy 2025–2035 has been finalized, targeting a doubling of seafood exports within one year through upgraded cold-chain logistics, traceability certification and deep-sea fishing capacity.

A Maritime Education Endowment Fund has also been created, and the Pakistan Marine Academy will be upgraded into a Maritime University to train seafarers, marine engineers, technologists and ocean science specialists.

The minister said the government’s century-long maritime strategy, termed “Maritime Century (2047–2147),” envisions developing new deep-sea ports, AI-enabled shipbuilding and recycling complexes, “Made-in-Pakistan” vessels and 100 percent green and digital ports with multimodal connectivity.

By 2047, Pakistan aimed to emerge as a global blue economy hub driving sustainable growth across the North Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, the minister concluded.