The crisis of Bangladesh's maritime education

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." — Nelson Mandela

There are moments in a nation's life when institutions-once founded with lofty aims-begin to lose their way. Bangladesh is at one such moment in its maritime education.
For generations, the Bangladesh Marine Academy (BMA) and the Marine Fisheries Academy (MFA) had been beaconing institutions of national progress. The two were designed to achieve two distinct yet synergistic missions: BMA to impart officers for the global shipping sector, and MFA to develop an adequate workforce for the fishing industry sector vital to food security, employment, and sustainable use of marine resources. This dual vision once gave Bangladesh pride of place in South Asia's maritime map.
Yet, decades of misconceived policy direction, bureaucratic lethargy, and unbridled institutional duplication have blurred the line of demarcation between these two academies. The Marine Fisheries Academy, which was initially meant for the welfare of the fisheries sector, has now become a half-baked replica of BMA-plundering scarce resources, deviating from its initial purpose, and depriving the nation's fishing fleet of much-needed trained officers.
This article examines how such misalignment has compromised Bangladesh's maritime education, national food security, and graduate employment. It argues that unless the Marine Fisheries Academy gets realigned to its original mission at hand soon, Bangladesh will end up sabotaging its blue economy aspirations. At the same time, the rest of the world, stimulated by what the sea has to offer, brings attention to the seas as growth drivers, sustainability drivers, and sources of sovereignty.
A Historical Vision
In 1962, the Chattogram Bangladesh Marine Academy was established to train cadets for ocean-going ships for use by national and foreign shipping. In 1973, due to Soviet assistance, the Marine Fisheries Academy was established under the direction of the Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation. Its objective was clear and imperative: to create a trained workforce to be utilized in the fishing industry, ensuring sustainable harvesting of the Bay of Bengal's resources and assisting in the generation of foreign exchange through export.
They never intended to compete with one another. One was supposed to build shipping, the other fisheries. Together, they represented a vision for Bangladesh's future at sea.
The Marine Fisheries Academy: Adrift from Purpose
Most of the blame lies with the failure of the Marine Fisheries Academy itself. The once-hope for the fishing industry's backbone now trains cadets who largely leave the fisheries for merchant shipping. Nowadays, nearly 90% of MFA cadets prefer shipping-a segment already served by BMA, leaving the fishing sector in a woeful shortage of skilled officers.
This change is not just a mistake in the distribution of state funds but a profound betrayal of national interest. Public funds, allotted under the Ministry of Fisheries, are being used to train graduates for the Ministry of Shipping. Instead of creating the fisheries workforce, MFA has turned into a half-hearted duplicate of BMA.
Where Do MFA Graduates Go?
The numbers are staggering. For the Bangladesh Mercantile Marine Department:
o 110 cadets graduated from MFA during the previous year.
80 entered merchant shipping.
Thirty people joined only the fish processing sector.
No one shipped on fishing boats.
Whereas Bangladesh has 269 registered fishing boats (185 steel-hulled, 84 wooden), and to operate effectively under the 50% rotation policy of duty and leave, it needs 538 active officers. Now, there are only 112 certified officers-enormous shortage of 426 officers.
On the contrary, BMA continues to churn out cadets for a world shipping industry already over-supplied. In December 2024 alone, 230 cadets graduated from BMAA, but more than 600 BMA graduates are unemployed and idle, due to the oversupply. The world's oversupply of MFA graduates, all dumped into the same job pool, only makes matters worse-spearheading frustration, unemployment, and wasted national investment.
A Betrayal of National Interest
The Bangladesh maritime academies were not dreamed of as playgrounds for political patronage or bureaucratic appeasement, but rather as strategic pillars of national development. Bangladesh Marine Academy (BMA) was established to provide a steady stream of merchant navy officers to the global shipping industry. At the same time, Marine Fisheries Academy (MFA) was set up to develop a professional pool of manpower for the fisheries sector-an industry contributing nearly 3.6% of national GDP, which earns over USD 600 million from exports alone annually and supports more than 12 million livelihoods along the value chain. Together, the academies were meant to support Bangladesh's destiny in the sea without competing with one another.
But now, MFA's deviation from its original role is nothing less than institutional sabotage. Instead of graduating efficient fisheries officers to service Bangladesh's 269 industrial trawlers and thousands of mechanized vessels in the Bay of Bengal, MFA has become an imitation of BMA. Taxpayer money from the Ministry of Fisheries is going into cadet training that disproportionately flows into merchant shipping, a manpower-intensive industry. The diversion not only wastes national investment but also drains the very sector MFA was set up to aid.
The outcome is disastrous. Bangladesh is short by over 400 competent fisheries officers, decimating the efficiency, safety, and competitiveness of the fishing fleet. This vacuum places the nation squarely in the path of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing-foreign vessels plundering the Bay of Bengal because Bangladesh lacks trained personnel to protect its seas. The FAO estimates that Bangladesh loses well over USD 1 billion annually due to IUU fishing. This is lost revenue, but it is also stolen sovereignty.
The weakness also undermines Bangladesh's ability to safeguard its rights within its 118,813 square kilometers of oceanic territory, gained only after relentless arbitration victories over India (2014) and Myanmar (2012) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Without an adequately trained fisheries labor force, Bangladesh is unable to enjoy or defend its massive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which is lucrative in fishery assets, hydrocarbons, and other sea commodities.
International Lessons: What
Others Got Right
Bangladesh's mistakes are the exact opposite of those of countries that have treated their fisheries education seriously:
l The Philippines established its Philippine Merchant Marine Academy and specialized fishery schools under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. By maintaining their mandates as separate, it has created a world-class merchant navy as well as supplied a skilled workforce for one of the globe's largest tuna fishing industries.
l Norway, the pioneer of sustainable fisheries, set up specialized academies and research institutions exclusively focused on marine biology, navigation, and resource management. This synergy between education and national need has helped Norway dominate the seafood export market globally while preserving sustainability.
l Japan, after World War II, invested lavishly in fisheries training schools to reestablish its food security. Japan leads the world today in deep-sea fishing, marine engineering, and aquaculture, all thanks to a strict educational commitment.
l China: China's Fisheries Academies and Maritime Business schools, while both focusing on the aquatic realm, offer distinct specializations and lead to different career paths. It has the world's leading fisheries industry, being the largest producer of fish and seafood globally due to its massive aquaculture sector and extensive distant-water fishing fleet.
All these nations realized a simple truth: maritime education has to be in line with national strategic needs, not short-term employment aspirations.
Why Bangladesh Cannot Afford to Drift
If MFA's training is not redirected to fisheries forthwith, Bangladesh suffers long-term damage in multiple areas:
l Economic loss - The fishing industry, which is now a principal earner of foreign exchange, will never reach its potential in the international market.
l Nutritional insecurity - Fish supplies 60% of animal protein to 180 million Bangladeshis. A diminished fisheries force diminishes this vital food source.
l Strategic vulnerability - An officer-less corps leaves Bangladesh unable to effectively control its EEZ, leaving it vulnerable to foreign exploitation.
l Wasted investment - Trained graduates at the expense of fishery resources still flood the merchant navy jobs market, exacerbating BMA graduate unemployment.
Bangladesh stands at a turning point. What was first imagined to be a cornerstone of national wealth stands poised to become a testament to policy misadventure. The decline of MFA is not just institutional failure; it is an act of betrayal of national interest. To restore order is imperative-both for the fisheries sector of Bangladesh and for the sovereignty of territorial seas.
Why Bangladesh Should Realign MFA with Fisheries
Shifting the Marine Fisheries Academy back to its intended objective is not an option-it is a strategy necessity. The case for reform is compelling:
1. Protection of National Food Security: Fish constitutes the principal source of protein for more than 180 million Bangladeshis. Shortage of trained officers threatens the sustainability of this lifeline.
2. Assuring Sustainable Exploitation of Marine Resources: Trained officers are essential to prevent overfishing and keep marine ecosystems intact.
3. Protecting Sovereignty and National Interests at Sea: An improved fisheries workforce strengthens Bangladesh's ability to protect its sea territory.
4. Strengthening the Labor Force of the Fishing Industry: Without skilled officers, productivity, safety, and competitiveness for the fisheries sector will remain crippled.
With MFA dedicated entirely to fisheries, Bangladesh can protect its marine resources, secure food stability, and protect millions of livelihoods dependent on the fishing industry.
A Blue Economy Vision Beyond Fisheries
Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus reaffirmed the blue economy's role in Bangladesh's future success on August 3, 2025. He emphasized conservation and sustainable harvesting of marine resources as vital to the development plan of the country, and he congratulated the Bangladesh Navy for its role in managing deep-sea ports and workforce training.
But the ground reality is stark: just 2% of Bangladesh's workforce is trained in maritime and blue economy fields, says BSMRAU (2023). To address this gap, the country must invest in:
l Specialized education in fisheries management, navigation, and marine engineering.
l Cold-chain infrastructure to reduce post-harvest loss and enhance export opportunities.
l Global partnerships for capacity building, technology transfer, and advanced research.
If reorganized with maximum efficiency, the Marine Fisheries Academy will be a transformative institution-at the vanguard not merely of the nation's fishing sector but of Bangladesh's entire transition to a blue economy that is sustainable and competitive on the world stage.
Conclusion: Stop Drifting, Start Steering
Bangladesh's maritime education stands at a crossroads. Unbridled expansion, decentralized mandates, and bureaucratic inertia have fostered inefficiency, unemployment, and squandered resources.
What the nation currently requires is visionary and patriotic leadership that will reestablish purposiveness, protect food security, and bring institutions into harmony with the strategic imperatives of the blue economy.
The tide has not passed beyond recall. With courage, clarity, and commitment, Bangladesh can reorient the Bangladesh Marine Academy and the Marine Fisheries Academy back towards their original visions, transforming them into pedestals of excellence for South Asia.
It is time for Bangladesh to cease drifting-and begin steering.
The author is the Publisher of South Asia Journal, New Jersey, USA, and the President of the Bangladesh Marine Academy Alumni Association (BMAAA).