First China-Pakistan Oceanographic Expedition At Makran Offshore From Jan13

First China-Pakistan joint oceanographic expedition in Makran offshore (Balochistan) area will commence on Saturday (Jan 13) and will continue for next 25 days

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jan, 2018 ) :First China-Pakistan joint oceanographic expedition in Makran offshore (Balochistan) area will commence on Saturday (Jan 13) and will continue for next 25 days.

This is a major breakthrough in advancement of oceanographic research in the Arabian sea, said a press release issued by National Institute of Oceanography on Friday. The expedition is expected to promote cooperation in marine science and technology for coastal and marine environmental and ecosystem protection as well as the sustainable development of the coastal and ocean resources.

Arabian sea is considered as a laboratory for marine researchers as there are number of features that make it a unique place to undertake scientific research and to improve our understanding about seismicity.

This is because of the interaction of three tectonics plates just southwest of Karachi, impact of monsoonal reversal system on biological productivity, substantial change in sedimentation pattern i.e.

a shift from fluvial to aeolian contribution etc. Dr. Asif Inam from NIO Pakistan and Prof. Jian Lin, Deputy Director General, South China Sea Institute of Oceanography (Chinese academy of Sciences) and Chief Scientist of this expedition explained the significance of this endeavour.

The discussions for collaboration between NIO and SCSIO had begun early last year and it was commendable that over a short time that tremendous task of arranging a joint expedition could be possible.

Director General NIO, highlighting the history of collaboration between oceanography institutions of China and Pakistan, informed that NIO scientists had participated in Chinese expedition to Antarctica and Chinese expedition to Southern Indian Ocean.

But, he added, this was the first time that two countries were conducting geological, geophysical and oceanographic surveys in the Arabian sea. He explained that the two main areas of this expedition were focused on improving understanding regarding the seismicity of the Arabian sea and the assessment of gas hydrate potential along with Makran coast.

And that, how these two aspects of would be beneficial to the people of Pakistan -- mitigation plans for disaster management and socioeconomic development. Federal Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Mrs.

Yasmeen Masood appreciated the efforts of the leadership of both the sides and spoke on how the maritime sector and oceanography could contribute towards progress of our country. The messages from the Ministers from both sides were read by DG NIO and Deputy DG SCSIO.

As a follow up, he continued, SCSIO and NIO had plans to organize a joint scientific conference during first week of February 2018 to share preliminary result with the scientific community, academia and oil and gas industry.

Representatives from several national institutions, Pakistan Navy. The Captain and crew of the Shiyan three and participating science party were present on the occasion.