Bangladesh will receive a ship from Malaysia this month for carrying out survey on marine resources in the Bay of Bengal, officials concerned have said.
The ship 'RV Meen Shandhani' has already started its voyage towards the country from Malaysia. The country had to spend over Tk 650 million for procuring the ship.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque, who is now in Malaysia, inspected the ship at Telukintan seaport of Malaysia on Saturday. Â
He also witnessed a trial run of the ship in the Perak River of Malaysia. After the trial run, the minister allowed Bangladeshi crewmembers to navigate the ship to Bangladesh by the current month.
The ship will be engaged in carrying out land-based and pelagic surveys to ascertain the reserve of marine fisheries and other resources and set limit for fishing in the Bay of Bengal.  Â
The government had decided to procure the ship under 'Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Capacity Building Project' (BMFCB) to improve the capacity building of department of fisheries.
The BMFCB project launched in July 2007 will be completed in June 2017. It is being implemented at a cost of over Tk 1.65 billion. Islami Development Bank and the Malaysian government have financed the project. Â
The ship could carry out maritime survey for next 20 to 25 years, an official of the ministry of fisheries and livestock (MoFL) told the FE.
After carrying out the survey on maritime resources, he said, the ship will help determine the marine resources and provide an effective guideline for proper management of marine fisheries and resources in the Bay of Bengal.
Besides, it will help improve the livelihood of 0.5 million fishermen in the country's coastal areas.
Bangladesh had got 19,467 square kilometres in the Bay of Bengal following its victory over the maritime boundary dispute with India and Myanmar after a long legal battle at International Arbitration Court.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration at Hague in the Netherlands had awarded the country 19,467 square kilometres out of total 25,602 square kilometres disputed area with India.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Homburg delivered the judgment in the maritime boundary case with Myanmar on March 14, 2012.
Following the verdicts, Bangladesh finally won more than 118,813 square kilometres of waters comprising territorial sea, exclusive economic zone extending out to 200 nautical miles.
The Awami League-led government made a political decision to resolve the maritime dispute with India through an international court as Dhaka and New Delhi could not reach a solution in the past 40 years.
It also initiated the arbitral process to settle maritime delimitation dispute with Myanmar in the same court in 2009. Â
The case was later shifted to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) upon request from Myanmar.
Following Itlos' verdict in 2012, Bangladesh got over 110,000 sq km area including disputed 25,000 sq km.
Bangladesh demanded 107,000 sq km in the Bay of Bengal, but the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) verdict awarded the country with 111,000 sq km.
The ITLOS also sustained Bangladesh's claims to a full 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone in the Bay of Bengal, and to a substantial share of the outer continental shelf beyond 200 miles.
The maritime zone in the Bay of Bengal is considered a 'hub of huge marine resources and fisheries' that could herald economic blessings for the people of the country if extracted properly, according to marine experts and economists. Â
   talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
BD buys survey ship from Malaysia
Talha Bin Habib | Published: April 10, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: April 09, 2016 21:19:30
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