KARACHI: The maiden edition of the Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition and Conference (PIMEC) will be held from 10–12 February 2023 at Karachi Expo Center to be attended by 37 international delegations from 17 countries.
Briefing media persons here Thursday, Commander Karachi Rear Admiral Mian Zakirullah Jan along with additional secretary Ministry of Maritime Affairs (MOMA) Asad Rafi Chandna, said that 133 exhibitors including 21 international firms and 112 local firms/international organisations are participating in the exhibition.
In addition, he said that 37 international delegations from 17 countries including Bahrain, KSA, Qatar, Oman, Turkiye, UK, Italy, Germany, Portugal, USA, Colombia, Sri Lanka Malaysia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, and Kazakhstan will also attend the event.
Another highlight of the event is the active participation of Sindh and Balochistan governments which has established exclusive pavilions aimed at promoting investment in the maritime sector.
PIMEC will include maritime exhibition, business-to-business (B2B) and business to government meetings, signing of MoUs, and media interactions.
He said that the main objectives of the PIMEC are to highlight Pakistan’s potential for a blue economy, provide opportunities to the maritime industry both in public and private sectors to display products at one forum.
“This will also provide a platform for interaction with international maritime industry for joint ventures, transfer of technology and research to provide importance to Pakistan’s maritime and defence industries,” he said.
In parallel, he added that the PIMEC’s conference part i.e. International Maritime Con-ference–2023 spearheaded by the National Institute of Maritime Affairs, has also been organised on the theme “Embracing Blue Economy–Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Countries”. The IMC, thematically distributed under four sessions, will cover 27 papers by national and international speakers of repute.
Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition and Conference is being conducted in tandem with Multinational Exercise AMAN-23 which will provide an opportunity to over 122 delegates from 50 participating navies to witness this event. This will also increase opportunities for local exhibitors to interact with international attendees of visiting Navies from across the globe.
The maritime sector is the heart of global trade and economy, existing value of global ocean economy is about US $1.5 Tn per year which is expected to be doubled in size by the year 2030.
It can, therefore, be construed that the prosperity of a nation and economic growth are to a greater extent facilitated by maritime sector. Pakistan Navy, therefore, in coordination with the MoMA, took the initiative of bringing national and international maritime stakeholders to enhance maritime awareness and bring to fore the largely untapped maritime sector of Pakistan.
It is believed that the PN–MoMA joint initiative of holding the first Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition and Conference will not only bolster blue economy but also become the harbinger of socioeconomic development of the coastal belt of Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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