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Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistan's blue economy: an ocean of missed opportunity
Pakistan's coastal waters hold the key to a multi-billion-dollar economy; nonetheless, this potential remains largely untapped. The country's blue economy has yet to find a meaningful place in national economic planning. This lack of vision risks Pakistan forfeiting its rightful share of the global blue economy, which is expected to surpass USD3 trillion by 2030. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pakistan's blue economy contributes a meagre 0.4 percent to the national GDP's – an astonishingly low figure considering the country's 1,050-kilometre coastline and a 290,000 square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In stark contrast, other regional countries like Bangladesh and Iran have made significant strides in harnessing the wealth of their coastal resources. By leveraging its robust fisheries sector, Bangladesh shipbuilding and shipbreaking sectors generate thousands of jobs and significant export revenue, contributing meaningfully to the national economy. Similarly, Iran, with 30 ports along its coastline, handles 235 million tons of maritime traffic. It has dedicated USD 3.7 billion to develop and digitalise its commercial ports in 2025, upscaling its potential in maritime transport. With sturgeon farming, the Iran Fisheries Organisation has exported 18.5 tons of farmed caviar and 4,600 tons of sturgeon meat in 2023. Pakistan's poor maritime governance, underinvestment, and lack of integrated policy prevent it from securing a share in the global marine economy boom. Pakistan's blue economy crisis is mainly infrastructural, as indicated by its exclusion from the Logistics Performance Index. The country's strategic coastal position enables it to function as a regional transit hub through its three major ports: Port Qasim, Karachi Port, and Gwadar. Nonetheless, Port Qasim suffers from poor logistics operations and underused facilities, as its outdated infrastructure operates below 50percent of its maximum potential. Despite handling high traffic volumes, Karachi Port faces persistent congestion and limited expansion, operating below optimal capacity. Gwadar Port holds significant value but remains disconnected from Pakistan's industrial and energy networks. Pakistan needs to invest modernisation investments, improved logistics, and streamlined governance to maximise the potential of its ports to attain recognition as a leading maritime hub. Similarly, the fisheries sector of Pakistan is chronically underperforming. The country ranks 35th worldwide on the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) Fishing Risk Index because its waters continue to experience widespread IUU fishing activities. Moreover, post-harvest losses reach 35 percent because the sector lacks adequate cold storage facilities and is experiencing poor handling practices. The fish exports from Pakistan are 136,000 metric tonnes with a value of USD 400 million, despite having the potential to reach USD 2 billion. According to the World Bank, revenues would increase by 60 percent if Pakistan implements better port management along with regulatory reform and technological improvements. Beyond trade and fisheries, Pakistan's blue economy holds immense potential in Marine Renewable Energy. Pakistan's coastline, particularly the 17 major creeks of the Indus Delta, offers significant opportunities for tidal energy generation. The estimated power output from tidal energy projects in these regions amounts to 900 to 1,100 MW, offering a renewable solution for coastal energy. The EEZ of Pakistan holds potential for the development of offshore wind and wave energy projects. Yet these possibilities remain absent from Pakistan's primary energy policy. Pakistan also has considerable scope in seabed mining and blue bio-technology. Pakistan's EEZ holds vast offshore deposits of oil, gas, and minerals, awaiting extractions. The Indus and Makran offshore areas contain hydrocarbon resources, while Murray Ridge has potential for hard rock metallic minerals. Moreover, the blue bio-technology sector leverages marine bio-diversity to develop pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and bio-based products, offering promising applications in disease treatment. The market for this industry worldwide will expand from USD 5.65 billion in 2024 to USD 10.54 billion by 2032 at a 7.15 percent annual growth rate. Pakistan, however, lacks a roadmap or institutions to support innovation in this field. The human cost of this inaction is also worth noting. Pakistan's coastal communities, particularly in Sindh and Baluchistan, face high rates of poverty, underemployment, and environmental vulnerability. A well-governed blue economy could offer diversemarine livelihoods, skills development, and employment in sectors ranging from aquaculture to eco-tourism. Instead, years of ad hoc planning have left these communities dependent on informal fishing practices, vulnerable to climate shocks, such as coastal erosion and salinization. In short, unlocking the blue economy's potential is not a matter of discovering new resources but managing existing ones more wisely. It requires investment in coastal infrastructure, digitised port logistics, vocational training for a marine workforce, and research collaboration with universities and international partners. The private sector must also be incentivised to invest in value-added industries like seafood processing, aquaculture, and sustainable tourism. With the right ecosystem, the blue economy could become a new engine for Pakistan's economic diversification, reducing reliance on remittances and traditional agriculture while aligning with the country's climate goals. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Photos Show Chinese Ship Detected in Waters Claimed by US Ally
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Chinese research vessel has been spotted conducting unknown activities in waters claimed by Japan—a United States treaty ally—near a remote, disputed "island" in the Pacific Ocean. The incident occurred on Monday near Japan's Okinotorishima Island. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that the island is a reef and therefore not entitled to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the ship thus has the right to exercise the freedom of the high seas. Marine Operations at Xiamen University in China—the operator of the vessel R/V Tan Kah Kee—did not immediately respond to a Newsweek request for comment via email. Why It Matters According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China possesses the largest civilian research vessel fleet in the world, which is being employed to advance Beijing's strategic ambitions, including collecting data about the world's oceans for military purposes. Newsweek previously reported on the movements of Chinese research ships—operated by either the government or civilian entities—in different bodies of water across the Indo-Pacific region, including the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, and waters near Japan. What To Know The Japanese Coast Guard reported on Monday that the Tan Kah Kee was detected 167 miles east of Okinotorishima Island, within Japan's declared 230-mile-wide EEZ around the island. A photo provided by the Coast Guard appears to show the Chinese ship deploying what appeared to be a wire into the ocean. A Japanese patrol aircraft issued radio warnings to the vessel, stating that no research activities are permitted in Japan's EEZ without Tokyo's consent. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which establishes a legal framework for order in the world's oceans and seas, says that a state has sovereign rights to explore and exploit its EEZ, as well as jurisdiction over scientific research within the area. The Chinese ship left the area about five hours later, at 10:45 p.m. local time. The Japan Coast Guard reported the ship's latest position at 230 miles east of Okinotorishima Island. Chinese research vessel "R/V Tan Kah Kee" deploys what appears to be a wire into waters near Japan's Okinotorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean on May 26, 2025. Chinese research vessel "R/V Tan Kah Kee" deploys what appears to be a wire into waters near Japan's Okinotorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean on May 26, 2025. Japan Coast Guard The island is the southernmost territory of Japan, located about 1,000 miles south of Tokyo. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the EEZ based on the island's coastline covers 162,000 square miles—larger than Japan's total land area of 146,000 square miles. Japan designated Okinotorishima as a remote island in 2010. China has argued—citing UNCLOS—that it is merely a reef, with a surface area of less than 107 square feet above water at high tide, adding that Tokyo's move constitutes an encroachment on the high seas. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which administers Okinotorishima Island, describes it as an "eggplant-shaped" reef. Two islets, surrounded by concrete seawalls since 1987, are located within the reef that "remain above the sea surface even at high tide." According to UNCLOS, an island is defined as a "naturally formed area of land" that is surrounded by water and above water at high tide, while rocks are not entitled to an EEZ, as they "cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own." The Chinese research vessel "R/V Tan Kah Kee" transits near Japan's Okinotorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean on May 26, 2025. The Chinese research vessel "R/V Tan Kah Kee" transits near Japan's Okinotorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean on May 26, 2025. Japan Coast Guard What People Are Saying Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said: "According to UNCLOS, [Okinotorishima Island] is a reef, not an island. As such, it is not entitled to an EEZ or continental shelf. Japan's claim of an EEZ around the reef violates international law. China's research vessel was exercising the freedom of the high seas with regard to its activities in the waters, and Japan has no right to interfere." The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said: "The waters around the Okinotorishima Island is known to be the spawning grounds and migration route for bonito, tuna, and other fish. Valuable mineral resources such as manganese are also said to exist on the seafloor. Manganese contains copper, methane hydrates (which are expected to be an alternative energy source for petroleum), and other substances." What Happens Next China is likely to continue its maritime research activities in the Indo-Pacific region. It remains to be seen if Japan will strengthen its patrols around the disputed island.
Times of Oman
5 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
Japan accuses China of unauthorised maritime research in EEZ near Okinotori Atoll
Tokyo: Japan has accused China of conducting maritime scientific research without prior notification within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surrounding its southernmost atoll in the Pacific Ocean, The Japan Times reported on Tuesday. The alleged activity occurred on Monday near Okinotori, an isolated atoll in the Philippine Sea located roughly midway between Taiwan and Guam. China has previously stated that it does not recognise Okinotori as an island. According to The Japan Times, Japan's coastguard detected a Chinese maritime survey ship "extending what seemed to be a wire into the waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), 270 kilometres east of Okinotori island," government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said. "As the vessel's maritime scientific research was conducted without Japan's consent, the coastguard requested that the activity cease, and we protested with the Chinese authorities through diplomatic channels," Hayashi stated, as quoted by The Japan Times. The Chinese vessel left the EEZ at around 10:45 pm on Monday, Hayashi noted. Under international law, coastal states have the right to manage natural resources and conduct economic activities within their EEZ, which extends 200 nautical miles, or 370 kilometres, from their shoreline, as mentioned by The Japan Times. Foreign vessels must obtain prior approval to conduct scientific research for non-economic purposes within another nation's EEZ. However, Beijing has rejected Japan's claim, arguing that Okinotori does not constitute an island but merely consists of rocks. Therefore, China contends, the area around it does not qualify as an EEZ under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as reported by The Japan Times. In recent years, Japan has invested millions of yen into coral planting and coastal reinforcement around the atoll in an effort to counter erosion, according to The Japan Times.
NHK
6 days ago
- General
- NHK
Beijing rejects Tokyo's protest over survey ship activities in Japan's EEZ
China has rejected Japan's protest over a Chinese vessel's activities in Japan's exclusive economic zone near its southernmost island. The Japan Coast Guard says it detected a Chinese maritime research ship conducting activities near Okinotorishima in the Pacific on Monday without prior consent from Tokyo. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said Tuesday that the government lodged a protest with the Chinese side. He said maritime scientific surveys without Japan's consent are not allowed and should be stopped immediately. In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Tuesday that Okinotorishima is a reef, not an island. She added that an EEZ or a continental shelf cannot be established around it. She reiterated China's previous argument, saying that Japan's claim violates international law. The spokesperson also maintained that China's activities are an exercise of freedom of the high seas, and Japan has no right to interfere.
Barnama
23-05-2025
- General
- Barnama
LIMA'25: KD Lekiu, KM Tun Fatimah Remain The Pulse Of The Country's Maritime Defence
By Nur Syahidayah Mahasan LANGKAWI, May 23 (Bernama) -- In the face of increasingly complex and challenging maritime threats to nations, the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN) KD Lekiu and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA), KM Tun Fatimah remain steadfast in sailing the seas to protect the maritime borders of the country. Despite their different roles and specifications, these two national defence assets still share a common mission, which is to be the backbone of ensuring the security and sovereignty of the country's waters from external threats, as well as monitoring the country's waters. KD Lekiu, with its high combat capabilities, functions as the country's primary defence fortress in the open sea while KM Tun Fatimah strengthens the enforcement of maritime laws and surveillance in coastal areas and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Describing KD Lekiu as the country's number one warship, its Commanding Officer Captain Mahamad Nazer Darus described the country's warship's ability to conduct four-dimensional warfare. "First, subsurface (underwater) warfare where we counter, repel and also search and destroy submarines. Second, surface warfare where we can engage in combat with other surface vessels. "Thirdly, we are capable of repelling attacks from the air with anti-air missiles to destroy enemy aircraft and fourth, electronic warfare where we have electronic support measures and also electronic warfare to repel cyber attacks,' he said. He said this during a media tour of KD Lekiu in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025 (LIMA'25) at Resort World Langkawi here, which was also opened for the public starting today. Even more amazingly, the 26-year-old KD Lekiu once sailed on a 100-day voyage from Lumut to Hawaii, then back to Lumut covering a distance of 12,730 nautical miles and carrying out various exercises including firing missiles at real ship targets.
