The Ministry of Maritime Affairs is planning to build more docks for handling boats or ships at ports from where a ferry service would be started.
A ministry official said on Thursday that it is part of the blue economy initiative which would make Pakistan a maritime nation. The ministry is looking to work on a plan to build regular ships for promotion of coastal tourism. He further said that Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has a capacity to handle 150 million tons, he added.
He said that Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi is willing to build a train line and a freight corridor which will start somewhere from KPT and go through the water to Port Qasim.
The official further said that Pakistan has a huge potential as far as its maritime resources are concerned, adding that Pakistan’s 1100 kilometres coastline is rich with opportunities to connect the world. “The Project of East Bay Expressway which was delayed for various reasons is now scheduled to be completed by April 2021” he said.
He said that a new manning company under the PNSC has been set up that will facilitate the employment of seafarers on international shipping lines. He said that the Ministry devised a comprehensive Shipping Policy in 2019 aimed at attracting the private sector to participate in the shipping.
