Working to build a vibrant blue economy: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the government has been working to build a vibrant blue economy by utilising marine resources for the economic prosperity of Bangladesh.

“We not only want to protect our sea areas but also use marine resources so that we can achieve economic prosperity. We’ve adopted the concept of blue economy and keep working on it,” she said.

The Prime Minister said this while commissioning five modern ships of Bangladesh Navy at the Naval Berth-1 in Chattogram through a videoconference from her official residence Ganobhaban in the capital.

The five ships are BNS Umar Farooq, BNS Abu Ubaidah, BNS Prottasha, BNS Darshak and BNS Tallashi.

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal, on behalf of the Prime Minister, formally handed over the "commissioning forman [statement]" of the ship to the respective captains of the ships at the Naval Berth.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh attained its sovereignty in a vast sea area as the Awami League government took proper measures after assuming power in 2009.

She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had formulated the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974 even before the United Nations adopted the marine law.

But other governments did not take any initiative over the country’s sovereignty in the sea area of Bangladesh in the long 21 years after the assassination of the Father of the Nation, she said.

“Those who came to power killing the Father of the Nation did not take any initiative over it or think of the country’s sovereignty in maritime areas during the next 21 years. When Awami League came to power in 1996, we started working on it,” she said.

An audio-visual presentation was made in the five ships that included two frigates -- Umar Farooq and Abu Ubaidah--, one corvette --Prottasha—and two survey ships --Darshak and Tallashi. Of these, two survey ships were built at Khulna Shipyard.