Pakistan is set to offer 1,000 acres of land near Port Qasim to Chinese investors for the creation of an Integrated Maritime Industrial Complex, in what officials describe as the largest single investment in the country’s maritime sector to date.
Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Jawad Akhtar, told Wealth Pakistan that the ambitious project would transform the nation’s shipbuilding and recycling capabilities through robotic and technology-driven systems, ending reliance on outdated shipbreaking practices that have long dominated Gadani.
“At one time, Gadani was number one in the world for shipbreaking, but today it has fallen behind due to obsolete methods. This project will revive that glory,” Akhtar said.
According to him, the new complex will consolidate multiple maritime activities under one roof, including shipbuilding, shipbreaking, repair and maintenance, and recycling. Large docks are planned for modern dismantling and recycling operations, while re-rolling mills will be installed to process melted ship steel directly on-site.
Pakistan currently relies on imports of ship-grade steel due to limited domestic production. Once operational, the new facilities are expected to help the country meet its own demand, thereby saving precious foreign exchange.
Akhtar highlighted the scale of the technological leap, noting that the complex would enable the production of vessels seven to eight times larger than those built in Pakistan today. “Not only will the vessels be bigger, but the production timeline will also shrink by nearly 70 percent, with completion possible within a year,” he said.
He further stressed that the project is more than just an infrastructure development. “It is the revival of Pakistan’s blue economy, positioning the country as both a regional hub and a global player in shipbuilding, recycling, and repair,” he underlined.
“This is the first investment of this scale by a single company in Pakistan’s maritime sector, and once complete, it will fundamentally transform our capabilities, placing Pakistan on the global shipbuilding map,” Akhtar added.
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