Scientific Development, Marine Entrepreneurship Can Exploit Pakistan’s Untapped Blue Economy Resources

News Desk

Lahore: Experts at a seminar on Thursday said Pakistan’s blue economy potential can only be tapped if we capitalize on scientific development, research and marine entrepreneurship.

They were speaking during maritime summer school 2022 (mss 2022) held in Lahore. The event was organized by the new research center of Minhaj University Lahore with the name of Center of Research and Innovation in Maritime Affairs (CRIMA).

The event aiming to create awareness in the fields of maritime understanding, blue economy and trade, the role of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its importance in blue economy, maritime security and power politics in the Indian Ocean, maritime tourism, and the availability efficacy and implementation of the resources.

The Summer School was attended by practitioners, policymakers, academia, media, and students of various universities.

In his discussion of the idea of collective security, Director IOSC NIMA Commodore (Retd) Baber Bilal said that protecting national maritime interests is a key component of maritime security. He continued by saying that the maritime sector currently dominates national security and interest agendas.

Cdr (R) Baber Bilal asserted that “No state has advanced without growing its maritime industry. Our national marine policies and strategies are out-dated and need to be modified and replaced.”

He emphasized proliferating the number of Pakistan Flag Carriers while highlighting the understanding of the maritime economy and its linkage with National Security.

Head Researcher NIMA Naghmana Zafar discussed about the challenges to Ocean Health and Blue Growth. She said that we should accelerate the blue economy and initiative which will act as a key driver in transitioning to healthy, low-carbon, and resilient oceans for the development of Pakistan’s maritime sector.

Pakistan falls amongst the group of countries where weather patterns, fisheries industry, and coastal and wetland services will be badly hampered by global warming and resulting climate change. The implications of environmental and climate issues will be devastating for human safety, survival, socio-economic sustenance, and maritime development in Pakistan.

Naghmana Zafar urged that we should adapt and mitigate against climate change which requires consistent efforts/contributions from all stakeholders.

She criticized that the year 2020 was declared and celebrated as the ‘Year of Blue Economy’ by the government but nothing concrete could be yielded in terms of policy, regulatory, or governance structure at the national level.

Throughout the course of programme, maritime practitioners and academicians, including explained key nautical concepts of Maritime domain and the present state of activities in Pakistan to the participants.

According to the university sources, the new research center goal is to sustain maritime development through advanced research and strengthen international maritime cooperation.

To effectively utilise the maritime potential and handle the issues and challenges the maritime industry is experiencing, the centre embraces academics and maritime affairs professionals.