Dr. Umar Saif, the federal minister of science and technology, announced on Thursday that his ministry will begin preparing the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) for ocean research, surveys, and international partnerships by acquiring a new marine vessel. As the NIO Board meeting’s chair, he made these remarks. According to him, the government frequently overlooks important national issues including oil exploration, ocean surveys, the blue economy, and the search for minerals in the ocean. “We will start work to equip NIO with a new marine vessel for ocean surveys, research and global collaborations, especially for CPEC” .