DHAKA, Dec 2, 2022 (BSS) –State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has called on International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and major maritime partners to strengthen their support for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's initiatives towards a greener maritime industry in Bangladesh by 2050.

“In order to transition to a greener maritime industry, Bangladesh, Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) require financial, technological, and knowledge support from IMO and major maritime partners”, the state minister said at Bangladesh’s side event titled '50 Years of Bangladesh Maritime Industry: The Road to Decarbonization', organized by Bangladesh High Commission, London during the 128th IMO Council held in IMO headquarters, London, according to a press release received here today.

In reiterating Bangladesh's commitment to ratifying the Hong Kong Convention by 2023, he said, “Bangladesh is currently partnering with the IMO in its SENSREC project phase-III for safe and environmentally responsible ship recycling; and has already contributed substantially to global decarbonization by reducing, reusing, and recycling steel as the world's leading ship recycling nation.”

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the IMO Saida Muna Tasneem in her opening remarks said, “The government under the pro-climate leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set a vision and a mission for decarbonization of the country’s shipping sector by 2050 in line with initial IMO GHG reduction strategy.”

The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to IMO cited some studies including a UNCTAD report which showed evidence that Bangladesh alone, as a major ship recycling country, reduces around 2000 kgs of CO2 per metric ton of steel recycled, contributing significantly to decarbonisation to the maritime industry.

She called upon the IMO to initiate pilot projects for Bangladesh’s maritime sector to introduce new technologies for greener shipping in the country’s government and private shipping sectors.

Addressing the event, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim commended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government for improving Bangladesh's ship recycling, environmental and safety standards. He also assured IMO’s continuous support to Bangladesh in its transition to a greener shipping industry. 

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways and the Head of the Indian delegation to the IMO Council, Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan, called for the full restoration of water connectivity between Bangladesh and India, which would be a significant step forward towards decarbonisation. In his remarks, he commended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the great strides she had made in restoring connectivity between the two friendly neighbours.

Director-General of the Department of Shipping, Bangladesh Commodore Md Nizamul Haq presented the keynote paper on Bangladesh's roadmap to achieving a greener shipping industry.

Ambassador and Permanent Representation of Brazil to International Organizations in London Marco Farani, Alternate Permanent Representative of Japan to IMO Kohei IWAKI, Deputy High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the UK Samantha Pathirana and Deputy Director of IMO Tian Bing Huang participated in the panel discussions.

Following the event, a lunch reception was hosted by the Bangladesh delegation where State Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury announced Moin Ahmed as Bangladesh's candidate for Secretary General at the IMO elections in 2023.