KARACHI: Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has announced that licences for long-delayed ferry services are now being issued within seven days. Speaking to members of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) in Karachi, he said Iran and Yemen had expressed interest in launching ferry operations from Pakistan.
According to a KATI, the minister said strengthening the blue economy was among the ministry’s top priorities. He highlighted efforts to revive the fisheries sector, noting that Pakistan holds confirmed export orders of 25,000 tonnes of tuna fish for the current year.
The minister encouraged KATI members to form consortia to establish modern fish processing plants. He argued that deeper private sector involvement could enhance value addition, boost exports and create jobs in the maritime economy.
Chaudhry revealed that 180 acres of land belonging to Karachi Port Trust (KPT) had been cleared of encroachments, opening space for industrial units, development projects and processing facilities. He said the reclaimed land can now support export-oriented ventures and attract new investment.
The minister added that while the government could launch projects independently, it preferred the business community to take the lead. “If the government earns ten rupees from a project, the business community can earn eighty rupees,” he remarked, underscoring the incentives for private participation.
He also assured that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs would remain accessible to investors and would back viable proposals from KATI members. He pledged to personally follow up on initiatives related to the blue economy rather than leaving them solely to officials.
Earlier, KATI President Muhammad Ikram Rajput said Pakistani seafood faced market restrictions over compliance issues. He argued that resolving these barriers could enable the fisheries sector to generate over one billion dollars in trade and urged greater focus on offshore oil and gas exploration.
