Assalamualaikum - Pakistan announces five-point plan to grow maritime sector and expand ports
Assalamualaikum. Pakistan’s Maritime Minister, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, on Saturday revealed a five-point plan aimed at speeding up growth in the country’s maritime sector, with proposals to build new ports and grow the national shipping fleet to play a bigger role in the economy.
Speaking at the opening of Pakistan Maritime Week 2025 in Karachi, he said the vision is to make Pakistan a meaningful participant in the global blue economy. The plan covers increasing the number of vessels and ports, setting up shipbuilding and recycling sites, launching coastal industrial projects, and investing in education and welfare for port communities.
Chaudhry stated they will establish three new ports and raise the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) fleet to about 60 ships within the next three years. He also mentioned a plan for a modern integrated maritime complex to offer shipbuilding, recycling and green technology services.
The minister noted the government has already started a Rs12 billion Gadani project as part of efforts to modernize shipbreaking and the maritime industrial base along the coast. The aim is to lift the maritime sector’s share of national GDP from roughly 0.8% to around 4%.
The ministry plans to set up an education fund for children of port workers and improve logistics to lower Pakistan’s sea freight costs by expanding the national fleet. Chaudhry expressed confidence that all of Pakistan’s ports would reach full operational capacity before 2047 and described the strategy as a roadmap to bring the maritime economy in line with international standards and sustainability goals.
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