ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Malaysia are exploring a new cooperation framework to expand maritime training and deepen collaboration in the port and logistics sectors following a high-level meeting in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Datuk Hasbi bin Habibollah, met Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, on the sidelines of maritime engagements in London, where both officials reviewed ongoing cooperation and discussed new avenues to strengthen bilateral ties.
The minister proposed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on enhancing seafarer training and establishing a cadet-exchange programme.
Under the proposed arrangement, Pakistan would send marine cadets to Malaysian academies, while Malaysia would dispatch its cadets to Pakistan for specialised training.
“This exchange will contribute to the professional development of young seafarers in both countries and strengthen long-term cooperation in the maritime sector,” Chaudhry said.
The minister also highlighted Pakistan’s expanding expertise in digital port solutions, offering Malaysia access to platforms such as the Pakistan Single Window—now fully operational at Karachi Port and Port Qasim.
Islamabad has been promoting its digital trade infrastructure as a model for reducing cargo-clearance times, improving transparency and enhancing trade facilitation.
Beyond training and digitalisation, the minister called for deeper operational cooperation on regional trade routes. He proposed establishing direct feeder shipping lines between Pakistan and Malaysia, with onward connectivity to Indonesia, to cut transport durations and reduce freight costs.
He noted that the proposed feeder links could significantly boost Pakistan’s rice exports to Southeast Asia while streamlining edible oil imports from Malaysia and Indonesia. The initiative aligns with Pakistan’s broader strategy to strengthen maritime connectivity with ASEAN economies, where demand for Pakistani agricultural products continues to grow.
For Malaysia, the initiative offers an opportunity to expand its maritime training network and enhance regional logistics integration as part of its transport-sector modernisation agenda.
Both sides agreed to hold further technical consultations in the coming weeks to finalise the MoU, define training modules and establish mechanisms for implementing the cadet-exchange programme.
