MARINE INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH

Maritime industry has developed silently in Bangladesh. This industry has now started to see the light of hope. The goods and passengers carrying goods in Bangladesh are going to Denmark, Germany, and Poland. Other countries of the world have become interested in buying ships built in Bangladesh. The British Navy has built warships from Bangladesh. The shipbuilding industry of Bangladesh has already moved far ahead. The shipbuilding industry in Bangladesh has been in existence since ancient times. Shipbuilding industry started in our country between the 15th and 17th centuries. In 1806, the Chittagong Shipyard builds 1,000 tons of commercial merchandise ships.At present there are about 200 shipbuilding companies in our country. Ships manufactured at these establishments are being exported abroad. According to the available information, the establishment of Khulna Shipyard in Germany was established in 1958. In 1957, the company started building ships entirely. Shipbuilding companies were established in 1979 for construction of vessels for the international market in Fatulla, Dhaka.

They are building ships with sophisticated technology. While China is top of the marine industry in the world, Bangladesh is reaching China in the shipbuilding industry. The workers’ wages in the shipbuilding industry are much lower than China, Korea and Japan. But Bangladesh's workers are very much ahead of the skill. The shipbuilding cost of the country's largest shipbuilding in the international market is 15% less than that of China.

Currently shipbuilding companies of Bangladesh are internationally contracted to build ships from different countries of the world. So far 250 million dollars have been signed. There is a demand of $ 400 billion for international shipbuilding. In the way the country's shipbuilding industry is moving, the expectations that the shipbuilding industry will be placed after the garment industry in the list of export products of the country is not uncommon.

Traditional market leaders of world shipbuilding industry are over-booked mainly for construction of large ships and they are not interested in building small scale ships leaving a golden opportunity for countries like Bangladesh which can make ships up to 12,000 DWT (dead weight tonnage)

A number of diversified types of vessels are built in various Bangladeshi shipyards around the country, such as: multipurpose vessel, fast patrol boat, container vessel, cargo vessel, tanker, dredging barge, ro-ro ferry, passenger vessel, landing craft, tourist ship, tug, supply barge, deck loading barge, pleasure craft/yatch, crane boat, speed boat, deep sea trawler, self-propelled barge, inspection vessel, cargo coaster, troops carrying vessel, double Decker passenger vessel, hydrographic survey boat, pilot boat, hospital ship, water taxi, pontoon etc. A considerable number of classed vessels have been built in Bangladesh so far.