Pakistan looks to Belgium for maritime training opportunities

September 02, 2026 (MLN):  Pakistan and Belgium have resolved to deepen cooperation between their maritime institutions, with both sides agreeing to explore training and student exchange programmes as part of broader efforts to develop their respective blue economies.

The consensus emerged from talks between Belgian Ambassador Idesbald Van der Gracht and Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, where the two sides reviewed avenues for cooperation spanning maritime education, institutional linkages, port development and the blue economy at large, said a press release issued.

Junaid Anwar Chaudhry told the ambassador that the Pakistan Marine Academy was in the process of being upgraded into a degree-awarding institution, noting that the bulk of the groundwork for this transition had already been completed.

He added that Pakistani students stood to gain from training and academic opportunities at Belgian maritime institutions, with a proposed exchange programme envisaged to allow students from both nations to draw on each other's experience and expertise.

The minister pointed to substantial room for collaboration between the two countries in the marine sector, observing that an exchange of institutional knowledge and technical expertise would support blue economy development on both sides.

Discussion also turned to Pakistan's port expansion and modernisation agenda.

Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said efforts were underway to boost transshipment volumes at the country's ports, with several projects in the pipeline to widen their commercial and industrial footprint.

At Port Qasim, these include a multipurpose terminal, an automobile zone involving refurbishment work, and a garment zone that will anchor an upcoming industrial park within the port authority's premises.

He further disclosed plans for an energy city designed to offer storage capacity to oil-producing nations, catering to white oil, crude oil and LPG.

Separately, work continues at the Karachi Port Trust on both on-dock and off-dock terminal facilities.

On regional connectivity, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said Pakistan was keen to link Gwadar Port with Central Asian countries, a move he said would open fresh avenues for trade and transit.

He maintained that the country's growing maritime infrastructure, paired with its strategic geographic location, positioned it well for international partnerships in shipping, logistics, port services and maritime education.

Both sides concluded the meeting with a shared commitment to deepen institutional engagement and pursue concrete areas of cooperation between their maritime sectors.

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