PIMEC and the localisation of our maritime economy | The Express Tribune

From autonomous sea vehicles and first-person-view gundrones to aquaculture, Pakistan’s second-ever International Maritime Expo and Conference (PIMEC) has it all. The four-day conference kicked off on Monday at the Expo Centre Karachi, is organised with the help of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and co-organised by Badar Expo Solutions, with the support of the Pakistan Navy.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, speaking at the inauguration, stated that despite Pakistan’s geographic advantage as a ‘natural maritime bridge’ between the East and the West, the maritime sector contributed less than 1% to Pakistan’s GDP. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf stated, “Pakistan has enormous maritime potential and its economic prosperity is inextricably linked to the development of its maritime sector.”

Tanvir Abbas, CEO of Badar Expo Solutions and event organiser, said the current percentage of local products and parts manufacturing for maritime usage was around 10%, but a decade ago, it was only 2%.

“There is a massive improvement,” he said when talking about local production, “If you look at the bullet-proofing and bomb proofing of vehicles, these are all done locally, which wasn’t the case before.” “We are going at a very fast rate…I think we’ll have exponential growth [of indigenous production] now,” he said.

These opportunities are not just for increasing local capacities, but also for exporting our technology. There are around 150 local and 28 international exhibitors, with representatives attending from 45 countries, including the Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics.

But a large reason you should be interested in the innovation by local organisations is threefold: Sourcing equipment, especially military equipment from international vendors, is costly, takes time to reach, and is unreliable because of supply limitations.

Stingray Technologies

A Pakistani defence firm with over two decades of experience in land, air, sea and cyber technologies, they have made strides in developing unmanned surface vessels (USV) complete with ground control stations that allow operators to pilot them remotely. Currently used for reconnaissance but possessing offensive capabilities, the 25ft USV is capable of travelling 20-30 kilometres, remaining operational for 4-5 hours.

Stingray Technologies showcase an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). Source: @Defense_Talks on X

They also displayed a maritime logistics drone, capable of replenishment efforts on small scales, as well as the IPMS: an all-in-one ship control system that streamlines ship maintenance. “On a ship, everything’s scattered. This gives you all feeds [so] you can monitor from one place,” one of their spokespersons said.

Lastly, they are developing a VR ship-training programme and have plans to make the experience as immersive as possible (like making a platform that moves beneath your feet as the ship “hits” choppy waves).

National Electronics Complex of Pakistan (NECOP)

The NECOP, a national research and development organisation that specialises in the design and development of advanced electronic systems. Their main attraction is the SAFRAH drone jamming gun: an indigenously designed drone jamming solution made to combat the weaponisation of commercial drones.

According to their spokesperson, it uses radar frequencies to combat drones with an effective range of 1.5 km and a capacity of 40 minutes on a single battery (or 70-80 shots of the gun).

Weighing about nine kilograms, the gun cuts off all communications with the drone and the controller, disables the ability of the drone to receive or send imagery, and forces the return or landing of the drone.

They have stated that on November 4, they will hold a technical demonstration of the gun, showcasing how it works to the public. One such demonstration will happen at 11am, and another at 3pm at the Expo Centre.

Woot Tech and Winged Innovative Solutions

Woot is a Pakistani-founded aerospace and unmanned systems company that designs, develops and manufactures drones and target aircraft for commercial and defence use.

Their products include fixed-wing, multirotor and hybrid Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) platforms equipped for roles like surveillance, mapping, cargo-delivery and target-drone operations. Their main attractions were a giant remote-controlled drone and a USV with a rotary camera that could act as a recon vessel or a ‘suicide drone’.

Drone capable of conducting reconnaissance or carrying munitions, made by Woot Tech. Source: The Express Tribune

They also showcased a smaller drone, which one of the representatives had designed themselves.

Similarly, Winged Innovative Solutions (WIS) Pvt. Ltd. is a Pakistan-based privately registered company specialising in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions tailored for industrial, commercial and defence applications.

This company also designs and develops drone-based platforms, including VTOL systems, and specialised drones for functions such as payload delivery, surveillance and cloud seeding.

Baykee

The Pakistani arm of a global power-equipment manufacturer, operating under the name Aerospace Baykee Pakistan Pvt Ltd (based in Lahore), with sourcing and technology links to the parent company in China, provides a plethora of services centred around power modules. They are a local manufacturer of products such as mining equipment, batteries, lights, solar inverters, power modules for submarines, defence systems, railways, satellite craft and more.

They are a bulk provider for the Navy and military, and showcased an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) capable of deep-sea repairs. They also showcased a battery-powered portable jammer system intended for military applications.

A portable radar jammer by Baykee. Source: The Express Tribune

Zarwah Enterprises and AquaTech Fisheries

Led by Chief Executive Officer Minahil Yousaf, Zarwah Enterprises is Pakistan’s first female-led aquacultural company. They are committed to transforming the industry with sustainable practices and offer various services such as consultation, site development, pond construction, aquacultural solutions for fish and shrimp farming and sell products such as seeds, feed and farm supplies.

Operating all over Pakistan, they have provided products and services, such as biosecurity solutions for Dhabeji Aqua Foods, reservoir construction for Aqua Hatch and designed and constructed the Al-Sumaka aqua farm in Nankana Sahib, Punjab.

AquaTech Fisheries also conducts sustainable fish farming and feed innovation in Pakistan. Founded by Muhammad Kamran and Ahmad Hussain, they offer fish feed, Biofloc — a system of aquaculture that uses microbial biotechnology to increase the efficacy and utilisation of fish feeds — and Aquaponics systems, as well as fish sales.

This was a very small selection of companies that are showcasing their innovation at PIMEC, but the direction is clear, and only time will tell if Pakistan’s maritime sector will keep propping up local solutions to local problems.