Pakistan’s Blue Economy and Maritime Security

Ramsha

The global blue economy contributes an estimated 3-6 trillion US dollars annually. This sector includes fisheries, maritime transport, renewable energy, tourism and biotechnology. Since the majority of global trade takes place via sea routes, the sector generates 200 million jobs and supports over 240 billion US dollars in exports worldwide. With a strategic coastline along the Indian Ocean coastline with ports and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Pakistan is well-positioned to tap into this economic zone for growth.

The length of Pakistan’s coastline is 1046 km, controlling a approximately 290,000 km² of maritime territory. The coastline extends into the Indian Ocean and near the Strait of Hormuz, an important maritime chokepoint. Arabian Sea provides the transit route through which all the energy-related imports and exports take place.

Any disruption to that SLOCs (Sea Lines of Communication) may end up causing severe economic risks for Pakistan. Pakistan’s key ports such as Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar have not been fully utilized, requiring investment, modern logistics and regulatory measures. Until these steps are taken, Pakistan’s role as maritime hub will remain limited. That is why upgradation is critical to Pakistan’s economic diversification as well as regional connectivity.

In the domains of maritime security and blue economy, the role of the Pakistan Navy is to ensure maritime sovereignty, trade routes, marine environment and law enforcement at sea. Since 2004, it has been contributing to global maritime security via Combined Task Forces 150 and 151. The Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre in 2013 was established for merging data from radars, satellites, and agencies to bolster maritime domain awareness (MDA).

In addition to its maritime role, it leads in humanitarian and environmental domains as well. It has been engaged in anti-pollution responses, fisheries enforcement and search-and-rescue joint exercises, such as BARRACUDA-XII (2024). In its multinational AMAN exercises, over 60 nations participate in strengthening interoperability and signalling Pakistan’s leadership in maritime cooperation.

Pakistan faces several policy and governance challenges, such as infrastructure gaps, poor maritime governance and fragmented institutional frameworks. Due to those challenges, Pakistan’s blue economy underperforms up against its potential. In the IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) Fishing Risk Index, Pakistan is at 35th rank with post-harvest losses at 35%.

As a result, Pakistan’s exports shrank from a potential 2 billion US dollars to only 400 million US dollars, making fisheries problematic for Pakistan. Absence of policy and institutional support further undermines Pakistan’s maritime potential of tidal energy up to 1,100 MW, hydrocarbons, seabed mining and marine biotechnology. In order to abridge these gaps, Pakistan needs comprehensive reforms with a revised National Maritime Policy, a central civilian authority, blue-finance tools, a unified maritime strategy, and coordination between civil and military stakeholders.

Several strategic imperatives define the future trajectory of the Pakistan Navy:

1. Pakistan Navy can strengthen maritime domain awareness (MDA) by enhancing the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre (JMICC) with radar networks, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), satellite feeds and interagency data fusion.
2. Fleet Modernization is important. The Navy has already inducted Type-054 frigates from China, MILGEM corvettes from Turkey and Romania, where Jinnah-class frigates are under development. The Navy has also been modernising its underwater capabilities. It has successfully inducted Hangor-class AIP submarines, Agosta 90B submarines upgrades under technology transfer agreement with China. Furthermore, the Azmat-class fast attack craft (missiles) could prove useful for counter-piracy operations and attacks on maritime targets.
3. The Navy should take advantage of modern technology, such as using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance and various operations.
4. Pakistan Navy should ramp up its Naval diplomacy to promote regional trust and policy dialogue. The diplomatic practices such as joint exercises, port visits and MCE-led conference can be the best starters.
5. In support of Pakistan’s blue economy, it should invest in Pakistan Maritime Science and Technology Park (PMSTP) for innovation in ocean energy, aquaculture, and shipbuilding. Moreover, capacity-building via the Maritime Centre of Excellence, academic programs at Bahria University, and think-tank research collaborations should also be promoted.

In securing the blue economy, the role of Pakistan Navy is undeniable. By ensuring maritime security and infrastructure protection, while pursuing steady modernization, governance reforms and targeted investments, Pakistan can grow sustainably in its blue economy. These efforts are critical in guaranteeing stable maritime future of Pakistan in Indian Ocean.

The author is a MPhil  scholar of Strategic Studies from National Defence University. She has previously worked for several reputed research institutes including Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) etc. Also, she has multiple research paper publications in Journal of Peace and Diplomacy, Research Consortium Archive and IRS journal.