Gwadar has had a turbulent yet lonely history. Though it has been visited, and even nominally managed at times, by the Macedonians, the Ummayad Arabs, the Omanis and even the British, it managed to retain…
Browsing Category Musings Maritime
Seawater Intrusion in the Indus Delta and Associated Hazards
Seawater intrusion into the once-fertile Indus Delta has unfortunately become a way of life, simply because almost everyone not directly impacted by this phenomenon has started taking it for granted and very few are willing…
Gwadar and CPEC – Reality Check
This is a subject which deserves to be tackled with utmost seriousness, as it is one in which it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern fact from fiction, and where rhetoric is found to trump…
Gwadar Glimpses
Part 1 – 1973 to 1981 My first look at Gwadar in early 1973, needless to say, was not a pretty one. Heat, dust and despondency hung in the air. As soon as the ship’s…
Extended Continental Shelf – The Last Maritime Frontier
Pakistan’s crowning glory this year(no, it’s not international cricket coming back to the country after a prolonged hiatus) is a little acknowledged achievement: winning the UNs endorsement for extension of Pakistan’s continental shelf up to…
The Containerised Trade Revolution
Arguably the greatest revolution in the field of maritime transportation since the advent of sea-going steamships in 1819 took place when the first containerised shipment left Port Newark in 1956. It is said to be…
Maritime Opportunities
Introduction The global maritime industry is arguably the largest and the most all-encompassing sphere of human endeavour. The distressing part is that Pakistan’s share of this multi-trillion dollar pie is woefully inadequate. Those entrusted with…
Maritime Missteps
The maritime domain is a fascinating one. Just as there are maritime marvels enveloped in its folds, it also features equal doses of maritime missteps. The recent case studies which follow will hopefully enable the…
Maritime Marvels
The sea hath no king but God alone Dante Gabriel Rossetti The maritime domain,which constitutes over 70 percent of the world’s surface area,holds many marvels in its midst,the pity being that few are bold enough…
Protecting the World’s Oceans
“My soul is full of longing for the secrets of the sea, And the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me”. H W Longfellow The oceans have been variously referred…