KARACHI: Pakistan and Romania are exploring the creation of new maritime linkages between Karachi Port and the Port of Constanța on the Black Sea as part of Islamabad’s push to expand its blue economy and open trade routes to European markets, the ministry of maritime affairs said on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s maritime sector, which underpins its emerging blue economy, contributes less than one percent to GDP but is central to long-term economic plans that envision the country as a regional industrial and trade hub. The government aims to expand the number of operational ports from three to six by 2047, with Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar serving as anchors for new regional shipping and logistics corridors linking the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.
The Port of Constanța, one of the largest on the Black Sea, offers direct connectivity to Central and Eastern Europe through the Danube River corridor, providing a potential new route for Pakistani exports to EU markets.
Discussions on the issue took place between Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Romanian Ambassador Dr. Dan Stoenescu in Karachi, with Rear Admiral Atiq-ur-Rehman, Acting Chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, also in attendance.
