KARACHI: Pakistan’s Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday announced a five-point strategy to accelerate the development of the country’s maritime sector, including plans to build new ports and expand the national shipping fleet to boost its share in the economy.

The announcement came as the minister inaugurated Pakistan Maritime Week 2025, saying the goal was to make the country “an important player in the global blue economy.”

Apart from increasing the number of vessels and ports, the five-point strategy also includes establishing shipbuilding and recycling facilities, launching coastal industrial projects and investing in education and welfare programs for port communities.

“We will establish three new ports and increase the number of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) vessels to 60 within the next three years,” Chaudhry said at the ceremony in Karachi. “A modern integrated maritime complex will also be established to provide shipbuilding, recycling and green technology facilities.”

He said the government had already launched a Rs12 billion ($42.4 million) Gadani project, part of the broader initiative to modernize the shipbreaking and maritime industrial base along Pakistan’s coast.

“Our objective is to increase the maritime sector’s contribution to the national GDP from 0.8 percent to 4 percent,” the minister added.

The ministry also plans to create an educational fund for children of port workers and upgrade logistics to reduce Pakistan’s heavy sea freight bill by expanding the national fleet.

“All of Pakistan’s ports will reach full operational capacity before 2047,” Chaudhry said, describing the plan as a roadmap to align Pakistan’s maritime economy with international standards and sustainability targets.