Report by Engineering Post
Pakistan’s Blue Economy harnesses the potential of its 1046 kilometers long Arabian Sea coastline and 290000 square kilometers Exclusive Economic Zone to drive sustainable economic growth.
Core sectors included maritime transport, fisheries, coastal tourism, ship recycling, and emerging areas such as renewable energy, and desalination. Strategically located on key global trade routes, Pakistan’s major ports , Karachi Port, Port Qasim, and Gwadar Port, serve as the regional gateways which have been further enhanced under the overall framework of the great game changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
During FY 2024-25, Karachi Port handled 40.38 MMT of cargo, Port Qasim 33.77 MMT and Gwadar Port 42505.5 MMT, Fisheries exports reached $ 318.9 million, while ship recycling generated Rs 221.1 million.
The global blue economy, currently valued at US $ 1.5 trillion, was projected to double by 2030. Pakistan aims to contribute US $ 100 billion to its economy by 2047, aligning with the URAAN Pakistan vision and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For FY 2025-26, the development agenda included port infrastructure upgrade, operationalization of the Blue Economy Centre in Gwadar, and expansion of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) fleet.
Targets included achieving 3.5 million Twenty -foot Equivalent Units (Teus) in containers throughout and $ 400 million in fisheries exports.
Despite climate and security challenges, enhanced stakeholder coordination and private participation will be quite critical for advancing the Blue Economy agenda, the experts have concluded while giving the information on being contacted.
