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Bangladesh free to explore resources in Bay: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said various resources of the Bay of Bengal can play an epoch-making role in the economic development of Bangladesh as mineral resources in the deep-sea blocks can be explored now without any dispute with the neighbours.
There is no alternative to utilising the vast potential of marine resources to ensure sustainable development, she said.
The prime minister was addressing the Commemoration Ceremony of the 30th Anniversary of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Bangladesh Law Commission chairman Dr M Shah Alam, Petrobangla chairman Dr Hossain Mansur and UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Neal Walker also spoke on the occasion.
Acting Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal gave the address of welcome at the function while Additional Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Rear Admiral (retd) M Khurshid Alam made a short presentation on UNCLOS 1982 and maritime boundary delimitation of Bangladesh.
Hasina said the largest mangrove forest Sundarbans has a very important contribution in maintaining the ecological balance as well as a prolific fish breeding ground due to its location near the Bay of Bengal.
For protecting the marine environment and biodiversity, we are taking steps to declare a certain region of the Bay of Bengal as protected area, she said underscoring the need for protecting the Sundarbans by all means.
Stressing the need for undertaking steps to produce efficient manpower in the aforementioned field, the prime minister said her government has opened separate departments that offer degree courses in Oceanography in Dhaka and Chittagong Universities.
Also, the establishment of the first National Oceanographic Research Institute at Ramu, Coxs Bazar is underway, she said.
Hasina said now 90 percent of the countrys trade is transported through the sea. Annually, as many as 2,500 merchant ships arrive at Chittagong and Mongla ports. With the maritime boundary on the Bay of Bengal settled, the security of sea lines communication has been ensured.
She mentioned that seabed and water column of the Bay of Bengal is enriched rich with various living and mineral resources as well as extraction of gas hydrate and polymetallic manganese nodules from the Bay has already been started
The prime minister said that salt-producing industries are being established in the coastal zones and by the natural evaporation of seawater, more than 15 million tons of salt are produced annually to meet the countrys local demand.
Besides mineral resources, she said, the Bay of Bengal is rich in fish stocks and other living resources, which can contribute greatly to the economy.
Almost 30 million people directly or indirectly, depend upon marine fisheries industries for their living. With efficient management of the marine fisheries, a widespread expansion of this industry is possible.
Hasina said it is impossible to have a discussion on the contribution of sea to Bangladesh economy without mentioning the expansion of ship-building industries. The history of ship building in Chittagong port during the seventeenth to nineteenth century is widely known.
Although, Bangladesh later lagged behind, the last ten years have seen an unprecedented growth in building ships of international-standard, she said.
The prime minister said that in Khulna Shipyard, for the first time in history, warship has been built for Bangladesh Navy. Beside the government enterprises, several private sector companies are now prominent in the ship-building industry. Bangladesh is now exporting her locally manufactured ships.
She mentioned that steps have also been taken to produce skilled manpower for the management of marine transportation system. To produce world-class mariners, we now have 13 marine academies. Aside from the non-government initiatives, six marine academies are going to be built with government funding, she said.
Hasina noted that tourism industries have flourished in the coastal zones as from time immemorial, the beauty of the sea-beaches has attracted mankind. Capitalising on this, weve taken effective measures to establish a strong tourism industry in Coxs Bazar, St Martins and Kuakata, she said.
The prime minister said that to keep the international sea-line communications open and secure and to safeguard resources in the countrys Exclusive Economic Zone and in the Continental Shelf, necessary steps have been taken to strengthen Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard.
She recalled that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took all the necessary steps within 1974 to establish sovereign rights of the people over sea and sea resources as Bangabandhu had enacted the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act.
Hasina also mentioned that as a consequence of her governments efforts, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) gave judgment in favour of Bangladesh in the Maritime Delimitation Case with Myanmar.
Bangladesh free to explore resources in Bay: PM
Dhaka invites firms to explore gas
Monday, 10 December 2012
DHAKA: Bangladesh yesterday invited bids from international companies to explore offshore oil and gas reserves, an official said, as the fast-growing economy seeks to meet its soaring energy demands.
State energy group Petrobangla Director Muhammad Imaduddin said that nine shallow-water and three deep-water blocks in the Bay of Bengal were open for production-sharing contracts with companies.
“We are going to post details of the international tenders on our website by tomorrow (Monday),” Imaduddin said adding that the blocks would be awarded to eligible firms by the end of next June, with submission deadline in mid-March.
The Offshore Bidding Round 2012 will be the sixth in the history of impoverished Bangladesh, which has extensive gas reserves, but is facing a shortfall due to soaring consumption.
Authorities offered the blocks after a UN tribunal in March this year ended a long-standing territorial dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the gas-rich Bay of Bengal.
In 2009, Dhaka’s bidding for offshore energy search got a tepid response as only US giant ConocoPhillips signed deals for two blocks of the 28 blocks on offer which included some to which Myanmar and India had territorial claims.
“This time we are optimistic about attracting more companies in the bidding. All 12 blocks are in the undisputed Bangladeshi waters,” Imaduddin said. Bangladesh hopes to resolve maritime border dispute with India in 2014.
Bangladesh is urgently trying to locate new sources of energy as the government has said the nation’s current gas reserves, at 16.3 trillion cubic feet, may run out within a decade at present consumption rates.
The country’s economy has been growing at more than six percent annually over the last decade with industrial growth hovering around 10 percent in several years.
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/business/217412-dhaka-invites-firms-to-explore-gas.html
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said various resources of the Bay of Bengal can play an epoch-making role in the economic development of Bangladesh as mineral resources in the deep-sea blocks can be explored now without any dispute with the neighbours.
There is no alternative to utilising the vast potential of marine resources to ensure sustainable development, she said.
The prime minister was addressing the Commemoration Ceremony of the 30th Anniversary of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Bangladesh Law Commission chairman Dr M Shah Alam, Petrobangla chairman Dr Hossain Mansur and UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Neal Walker also spoke on the occasion.
Acting Foreign Secretary Mustafa Kamal gave the address of welcome at the function while Additional Secretary of the Foreign Ministry Rear Admiral (retd) M Khurshid Alam made a short presentation on UNCLOS 1982 and maritime boundary delimitation of Bangladesh.
Hasina said the largest mangrove forest Sundarbans has a very important contribution in maintaining the ecological balance as well as a prolific fish breeding ground due to its location near the Bay of Bengal.
For protecting the marine environment and biodiversity, we are taking steps to declare a certain region of the Bay of Bengal as protected area, she said underscoring the need for protecting the Sundarbans by all means.
Stressing the need for undertaking steps to produce efficient manpower in the aforementioned field, the prime minister said her government has opened separate departments that offer degree courses in Oceanography in Dhaka and Chittagong Universities.
Also, the establishment of the first National Oceanographic Research Institute at Ramu, Coxs Bazar is underway, she said.
Hasina said now 90 percent of the countrys trade is transported through the sea. Annually, as many as 2,500 merchant ships arrive at Chittagong and Mongla ports. With the maritime boundary on the Bay of Bengal settled, the security of sea lines communication has been ensured.
She mentioned that seabed and water column of the Bay of Bengal is enriched rich with various living and mineral resources as well as extraction of gas hydrate and polymetallic manganese nodules from the Bay has already been started
The prime minister said that salt-producing industries are being established in the coastal zones and by the natural evaporation of seawater, more than 15 million tons of salt are produced annually to meet the countrys local demand.
Besides mineral resources, she said, the Bay of Bengal is rich in fish stocks and other living resources, which can contribute greatly to the economy.
Almost 30 million people directly or indirectly, depend upon marine fisheries industries for their living. With efficient management of the marine fisheries, a widespread expansion of this industry is possible.
Hasina said it is impossible to have a discussion on the contribution of sea to Bangladesh economy without mentioning the expansion of ship-building industries. The history of ship building in Chittagong port during the seventeenth to nineteenth century is widely known.
Although, Bangladesh later lagged behind, the last ten years have seen an unprecedented growth in building ships of international-standard, she said.
The prime minister said that in Khulna Shipyard, for the first time in history, warship has been built for Bangladesh Navy. Beside the government enterprises, several private sector companies are now prominent in the ship-building industry. Bangladesh is now exporting her locally manufactured ships.
She mentioned that steps have also been taken to produce skilled manpower for the management of marine transportation system. To produce world-class mariners, we now have 13 marine academies. Aside from the non-government initiatives, six marine academies are going to be built with government funding, she said.
Hasina noted that tourism industries have flourished in the coastal zones as from time immemorial, the beauty of the sea-beaches has attracted mankind. Capitalising on this, weve taken effective measures to establish a strong tourism industry in Coxs Bazar, St Martins and Kuakata, she said.
The prime minister said that to keep the international sea-line communications open and secure and to safeguard resources in the countrys Exclusive Economic Zone and in the Continental Shelf, necessary steps have been taken to strengthen Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard.
She recalled that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took all the necessary steps within 1974 to establish sovereign rights of the people over sea and sea resources as Bangabandhu had enacted the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act.
Hasina also mentioned that as a consequence of her governments efforts, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) gave judgment in favour of Bangladesh in the Maritime Delimitation Case with Myanmar.
Bangladesh free to explore resources in Bay: PM
Dhaka invites firms to explore gas
Monday, 10 December 2012
DHAKA: Bangladesh yesterday invited bids from international companies to explore offshore oil and gas reserves, an official said, as the fast-growing economy seeks to meet its soaring energy demands.
State energy group Petrobangla Director Muhammad Imaduddin said that nine shallow-water and three deep-water blocks in the Bay of Bengal were open for production-sharing contracts with companies.
“We are going to post details of the international tenders on our website by tomorrow (Monday),” Imaduddin said adding that the blocks would be awarded to eligible firms by the end of next June, with submission deadline in mid-March.
The Offshore Bidding Round 2012 will be the sixth in the history of impoverished Bangladesh, which has extensive gas reserves, but is facing a shortfall due to soaring consumption.
Authorities offered the blocks after a UN tribunal in March this year ended a long-standing territorial dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the gas-rich Bay of Bengal.
In 2009, Dhaka’s bidding for offshore energy search got a tepid response as only US giant ConocoPhillips signed deals for two blocks of the 28 blocks on offer which included some to which Myanmar and India had territorial claims.
“This time we are optimistic about attracting more companies in the bidding. All 12 blocks are in the undisputed Bangladeshi waters,” Imaduddin said. Bangladesh hopes to resolve maritime border dispute with India in 2014.
Bangladesh is urgently trying to locate new sources of energy as the government has said the nation’s current gas reserves, at 16.3 trillion cubic feet, may run out within a decade at present consumption rates.
The country’s economy has been growing at more than six percent annually over the last decade with industrial growth hovering around 10 percent in several years.
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/business/217412-dhaka-invites-firms-to-explore-gas.html
