PM Kakar calls for expediting process to build more shipyards in Pakistan

PM Kakar calls for expediting process to build more shipyards in Pakistan
This undated file photo shows a general view of Pakistan's Gwadar deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea. (REUTERS/File)
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Updated 12 October 2023
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PM Kakar calls for expediting process to build more shipyards in Pakistan

PM Kakar calls for expediting process to build more shipyards in Pakistan
  • Caretaker PM Kakar chairs meeting to review construction of shipyards in Pakistan
  • Officials identify four locations in southwestern Pakistan where shipyards can be built

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday instructed authorities to expedite the process of building more shipyards in Pakistan, as officials identified four locations in the country’s southwest where more shipyards can be built.
Pakistan currently has only one shipyard which is located in the southern port city of Karachi. In February 2021, Pakistan’s then-federal government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the provincial Balochistan government to build a shipyard in the southwestern port city of Gwadar.
On Thursday, Kakar chaired a meeting where the current situation regarding the construction of shipyards in Pakistan was reviewed.
“Participants of the meeting were briefed that new shipyards can be constructed at Surbandar, East Bay, Kappar and Pishukan areas of Balochistan,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“The prime minister directed relevant authorities to expedite the process of building additional shipyards in the country.”
In 2019, Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Defense Production noted that India has over 43 shipyards while Bangladesh has 23, which enabled it to become a ship-exporting country.
During the meeting, Kakar urged authorities to be mindful of the environmental impact of constructing shipyards. He also directed officials to come up with an effective strategy to thwart illegal trawling in Pakistan’s coastal areas.