Enhancing Capacity to Expand Ship Exports
The government will provide policy and infrastructural support to boost exports in the shipbuilding and ship recycling sectors, Commerce Minister Khandoker Abdul Muktadir announced on Thursday. Speaking as chief guest at a views-exchange meeting at Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), he stated that the government is prioritizing these sectors to capitalize on international demand. He highlighted that over the next five to seven years, several thousand old vessels worldwide will undergo recycling, creating a potential multi-billion-dollar foreign currency market for the country by expanding green shipyards.
Emphasizing the need to strictly adhere to international compliance standards to enter European and North American markets, the minister stressed enhancing domestic design capabilities. To achieve this, plans are underway to establish a modern design and skill development center in partnership with Norway and the Netherlands. Officials at the meeting underscored CDDL’s potential to build large vessels, emphasizing the immediate necessity for installing modern cranes, fabrication shops, advanced design facilities, and additional construction docks to fully utilize its production capacity.
To resolve bank guarantee complexities, a major hurdle faced by private shipyards in executing export orders, a joint ‘hybrid model’ is being implemented. Under this mechanism, private entities will collaborate with navy-operated dockyards, enabling them to complete shipbuilding projects using government-supervised bank guarantee facilities. Furthermore, a high-level committee comprising the Ministry of Shipping, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Commerce will actively work toward driving the growth and sustainability of both sectors.
The event was attended by Rear Admiral Md. Ziaul Hoque, Commander of Chattogram Naval Area, Rear Admiral Md. Ruhul Minhaz, Area Superintendent of the Dockyard, and Commodore Mohammad Zainul Abedin, Managing Director of CDDL. Senior officials from the Bangladesh Navy and relevant ministries were also present at the conference. Following the meeting, the Commerce Minister visited Karnafully Drydock in Anwara upazila, accompanied by its Managing Director, Engineer Abdur Rashid, to inspect ongoing facilities and operational readiness.
