Govt to assist Bangladesh ship builders assured

Shipping minister Shajahan Khan yesterday said that the government was ready to give full logistic support to shipbuilders to ensure that the industry flourished considering its export potential.

The government had already taken some initiatives to help the shipbuilding sector, he said while addressing a seminar as chief guest on the ‘National Shipbuilding Conference’ held at the Pan Pacific, Sonargaon Hotel yesterday.

The event is organised by the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI), a non-profit research and training institution built on the concept of public-private partnership.

It is one of the four components of the Bangladesh Trade Support Programme (BTSP).

The conference marks the end of the BTSP, which has been funded by the European Union over the past four years to the order of 7.8 million Euros, and has been implemented by the Ministry of Commerce of Bangladesh.

The shipping minister was happy that the shipbuilders had already exported some quality ships to a foreign country.

“Thousands of locally built ships ply its inland waters. The country has a history of supplying ocean-faring vessels to European countries. It is also a great opportunity for us,” the minister added.

The appearance of clear signs that the world economy was on the road to recovery will provide challenging opportunities for the Bangladesh shipbuilding industry to make its mark, but the key to achieving success lies in preparing today,” he said.

Professor M A Taslim, CEO, BFTI, welcomed the guests. Stefan Frowein, Head of the European Commission delegates to Bangladesh and Einar Hebogaard Jensen, Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh, were present as special guests at the conference.

The Danish Ambassador said that he was satisfied with the achievement so far and was hopeful that “Made in Bangladesh” would become a trusted name and would be regarded as a serous alternative to the ship-building industry in neighbouring countries like India, Vietnam and China.

Professor Khabirul Haque Chowdhury head, Department of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering of BUET, presented his keynote research paper on “Transformation in Research and Technological Development and Innovation in Shipbuilding Industry and the Implications for Shipbuilding competitiveness.”

He said that the ship building in Bangladesh had evolved from traditional methods into a modern industry capable of competing successfully in the international markets.

“If it is to convert the recent world downturn into an opportunity, it must begin now to ensure that it develops the most accommodating and enabling environment, where there is sufficient skilled labour, compliance with international class standards, easy access to affordable raw materials, efficient import and export processing mechanisms, investment in infrastructure, research training and technological development and appropriate financial incentives. Networks, clusters, suppliers, trade organisations, financing institutions, civil society, the government and public and private sector bodies must work together to achieve a common goal,” he added.

Dr. Abdullahel Bari, Chairman, Ananda Group, and Sakhawat Hossain Managing Director of Western Marine Shipyard Ltd., the top shipbuilding organisations of Bangladesh, presented their papers.

General Manager of Bangladesh Bank Razee Hasan presented his note on growth and future plan and financial policy for the shipbuilding industry from a bank’s perceptive.

K M Mahmood-ur-Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Shipbuilders Association asked for support from government and FDI investment.

S: http://www.theindependent-bd.com/