Mankind did not take to the sea except for some intertwined and inseparable reasons. The four cardinal attributes, sea as a resource, as a medium of transportation and exchange, as a medium for information and the spread of ideas and as a medium of dominance have stood the test of times. Throughout history, sea routes have been more important than land. For better or worse, the Europeans created new empires and changed the world. And they did it by sea. Arabs too were great seafarers. They were sailing the waters of the Indian Ocean thousands of years before Vasco da Gama.
To an observer in space, the planet earth would appear as a globe largely covered by water. Nearly 71 percent of this planet constitutes oceans averaging a depth of about 4 km. The remaining 29 percent of continental area is dwelling for a global population that now exceeds 7 billion.
In globalized interconnected and deeply interdependent world, the oceans have now shot to prominence as never before. As a shared highway connecting the world, the Global Maritime Commons, as its contemporary name suggests, now supports over 90 percent of the world trade worth US $ 18.2 trillion. The total world trade in 2012 was 9.2 billion tonnes. Of this 2.7 billion tonne of liquid and 6.2 billion tonne of dry cargo was shipped via sea. This commerce is loaded or offloaded at 4,000 ports world over including 1,000 major seaports.
The world cargo fleet currently comprises of 67,232 ships. These ships play a vital role in facilitating international trade and sustaining a well-integrated supply chain of global economy. Besides information technology, it is the merchant shipping industry that has helped create globalization. Highly specialized ships capable of carrying specific categories and even sub-categories of cargo like liquid products, gaseous products, mineral ores, vehicles, containerized cargo etc have contributed to increased efficiency and reduced freight rates. The bulk of global trade is however transported as containerized cargo that come in standard 20 feet or 40 feet sizes and measured in Tonnes Equivalent Units (TEUs).
The advent of container ships has revolutionized world trade by virtue of its flexibility, rapid handling and smooth transportation. Container ships carry an estimated 52 percent of global seaborne trade in terms of value. The concept of intermodality, which has gained wide recognition, enables these goods to be transported from one point to another; from international seaports to destinations on land and vice versa in a seamless manner.
Oceans have always, and shall play an even more crucial role in geo-politics of this century. As resources on land continue to shrink at rapid pace and countries vie for economic dominance, oceans are steadily assuming a centre stage for contest of sea based natural resources. Interacting with geography on one hand and various state and non-state actors pursuing their individual or collective interests on the other, the 21st century has now come to be commonly known as the ‘Maritime Century’.
The ocean resources are too huge to comprehend over 150,000 species of animals, 16,000 types of fish, billions of tons of plankton, huge quantities of mineral, salts, millions of tons of iron and manganese in the form of nodules, big reserves of gas and oil, also gold, nickel, silver, molybdenum and diamonds are to name a few. But these resources are now under enormous threat on account of multitude of manmade and natural reasons.
Global warming resulting in rising seas and natural disasters, unchecked pollution of oceans, and indiscriminate exploitation of marine living resources present some of the formidable challenges to the economy and population coastal states. Major urban centers, industrial cities and towns of Indian Ocean are situated on or near the coastline. Vast urban areas become trap when natural disasters hit. Besides, the mega cities on the shores of the Indian Ocean discharge large amounts of untreated effluents daily into sea.
Continued unplanned industrialization of the Karachi coastal areas has degraded the natural environment. It has destroyed habitats while unabated pollution constitutes serious threat to the coastal amenities, and productive potential of coastal ecosystems. Approximately, 80 percent of the untreated municipal and industrial waste discharge into the sea mostly via public sewers, nallahs, the Gizri/ Korangi Creek, Lyari and Malir Rivers. The coastal areas of Karachi receive more than 400 million gal/day of untreated effluents (nearly 60 percent is industrial waste and 40 percent is domestic waste). Only 10 percent is partially treated from the sewage treatment plants located in Mauripur, Mehmoodabad and Korangi. Consequently, Pakistan’s fish and seafood industry worth US $1.2 billion per annum and livelihood of an estimated 1.5 million people is at peril.
Pakistan is placed as the sixth most populous country in the world. To ensure food security for an expanding population and advance the cause economic prosperity, Pakistan will have to turn towards the sea in earnest. Over the past decade, Pakistan navy has taken several initiatives to make the country’s decision makers, intelligentsia, and other stakeholders’ conscious of the urgent and compelling need to have a clear cut vision and policy that can revitalize the national maritime sector. As chief sentinel of the national maritime interests, Pakistan Navy has, in addition made huge contribution to ensure security and stability in the western Indian Ocean region. What is now needed is a national awakening to what may be conveniently called the ‘Century of Oceans’.
The author is a senior Research Fellow at PN War College Lahore.