Key points
- Pakistan Marine Academy upgrade nears completion
- Pakistan plans major port infrastructure expansion
- Gwadar connectivity to Central Asia under development
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Belgium have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their maritime institutions and explore student training and exchange programmes.
Bilateral discussions also covered port development, regional connectivity and the broader blue economy.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Belgian Ambassador Idesbald Van der Gracht and Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
The two sides discussed cooperation in maritime education, institutional linkages, port development and opportunities to expand collaboration in the marine sector.
Chaudhry said the Pakistan Marine Academy was being upgraded into a degree-awarding institution and that most of the work on the initiative had been completed.
Belgium to train Pakistani students
He said Pakistani students could benefit from training and educational opportunities at Belgian maritime institutions.
Under a proposed exchange programme, students from both countries would have opportunities to learn from each other’s experience and expertise.
The minister said the two countries had considerable potential for cooperation in the marine sector, adding that sharing expertise and institutional experience could help both countries develop their blue economies.
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The meeting also focused on Pakistan’s plans to expand and modernise its port infrastructure and increase transhipment activity at its ports.
Chaudhry said the government was pursuing projects to expand the commercial and industrial capacity of Port Qasim, including a multipurpose terminal, an automobile zone and a garment zone.
The automobile zone would also include refurbishment facilities, he said, adding that the garment zone would support the development of an industrial park at Port Qasim.
An energy city is also planned to provide storage facilities for oil-producing countries, including white oil, crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the minister said.
At Karachi Port Trust, the government was working to develop on-dock and off-dock terminals as part of efforts to enhance port capacity.
Chaudhry said Pakistan also sought to improve regional connectivity through Gwadar Port by linking it with Central Asian countries, creating opportunities for expanded trade and transit.
He said his country’s maritime infrastructure and strategic geographic location offered opportunities for international cooperation in shipping, logistics, port services, maritime education and other areas of the blue economy.
The Belgian ambassador and the minister expressed a desire to strengthen institutional exchanges and identify practical areas of cooperation between the maritime sectors of the two countries.
Islamabad is positioning the country’s maritime sector as a source of trade, investment and regional connectivity, with port expansion, logistics infrastructure and maritime education forming key elements of the government’s development plans.
