KARACHI, Feb 13 – China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC) and the Gwadar Port Authority successfully participated in the maiden edition of Pakistan International Maritime Expo & Conference (PIMEC 2023) held from 10 – 12 February at the Karachi expo centre. The event encompassed blue economy and maritime potential.
Officials from COPHC visiting the pavilion
Talking to Gwadar Pro, Qazi Abdul Majid, Founder Voice of Gwadar and Ex-Deputy Convener Maritime Affairs & Gwadar Development central standing committee Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries said that a large number of visitors with military, commerce and diplomatic backgrounds visited the pavilion.
He said, “we are signing 7 MOUs in the fields of renewable energy, education and coastal tourism.” Country Head Shehzad Sultan along with his team provided the latest progress reports about opportunities in Gwadar, the Gwadar Free Zone and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
COPHC pavilion at PIMEC 2023
The exclusive pavilions from Balochistan remained one of the major highlights of the international event which aimed at promoting investment in the maritime sector.
Delegation of the University of Gwadar also participated in Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference. A young businessman Moosa from Gwadar established his company stall at PIMEC to promote delicious seafoods of Gwadar.
Around 133 exhibitors, including 21 international firms and 112 local firms and international organisations participated in the 3-day exhibition.
In addition, 37 delegations from 17 countries, — Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Turkiye, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Portugal, United States, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles and Kazakhstan — attended the event.
PIMEC, an initiative of the Pakistan Navy was organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs in order to jumpstart the development of the maritime sector in Pakistan & spur Blue Economy. PIMEC included maritime exhibitions, business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) meetings, signing of MoUs and media interactions.
The main objective of PIMEC was to highlight Pakistan’s potential for the blue economy and provide opportunities to the maritime industry in both the public and private sectors to display products at a single forum.
This also provided a platform for interaction with the international maritime industry for joint ventures, transfer of technology and research to underscore the importance of Pakistan’s maritime and defence industries.
