Marine resources

Fishing alone is not what comprises the marine resources. Offshore gas, oil or mineral blocks can feed an energy-starved country like Bangladesh for a long time

Mentioning that it is the demand of the time to extract marine resources and ensure its best use, President Abdul Hamid on Tuesday said while speaking at the National Standard Conferment Ceremony to BNS Base Issa Khan there is no alternative to building a strong, modern and dependable Navy to protect and extract the resources.  Bangladesh has 710 km-long coastal area and about three crore people of this area are directly or indirectly dependent on the sea to earn their livelihood. 
Deep sea fishing is a big business but the country's wooden boats or trawlers can fish within 20 sq km (square kilometre) and 40 sq km respectively. Fishing alone is not what comprises the marine resources. Offshore gas, oil or mineral blocks can feed an energy-starved country like Bangladesh for a long time. Experts are optimistic that the Bay of Bengal can be a potential source of oil or gas. Even striking mineral deposits under the sea cannot be ruled out. Now the question is, why is the country not going for exploration of such deposits in the Bay of Bengal? One simple answer is that this country has not enough resources and expertise to look for offshore blocks full of oil or gas. It will have to hire foreign companies to do the job for it. Parties interested in doing the task for the country bargain for the best bet for them. There are huge non-living resources inside Bangladesh maritime zone. Co-littoral country Myanmar, to give but one example, is well ahead of Bangladesh in exploration of non-living resources in the sea. The government is now saying that it is ready to offer contracts to the private sector entrepreneurs at any cost and bring down risks for investors. It believes sustainable development of ocean resources is the key to ensuring that no person and no country were left behind. In fact, no country can claim success in achieving these development goals if any part of society is excluded from it.
Since the maritime dispute between Bangladesh-Myanmar and Bangladesh-India centering the Bay of Bengal have been settled, Bangladesh needs to make an in-depth search and to explore the unknown resources hidden in the Bay of Bengal to the benefit of the country.

 

Marine resources

Fishing alone is not what comprises the marine resources. Offshore gas, oil or mineral blocks can feed an energy-starved country like Bangladesh for a long time

Mentioning that it is the demand of the time to extract marine resources and ensure its best use, President Abdul Hamid on Tuesday said while speaking at the National Standard Conferment Ceremony to BNS Base Issa Khan there is no alternative to building a strong, modern and dependable Navy to protect and extract the resources. Bangladesh has 710 km-long coastal area and about three crore people of this area are directly or indirectly dependent on the sea to earn their livelihood. Deep sea fishing is a big business but the countrys wooden boats or trawlers can fish within 20 sq km (square kilometre) and 40 sq km respectively. Fishing alone is not what comprises the marine resources. Offshore gas, oil or mineral blocks can feed an energy-starved country like Bangladesh for a long time. Experts are optimistic that the Bay of Bengal can be a potential source of oil or gas. Even striking mineral deposits under the sea cannot be ruled out. Now the question is, why is the country not going for exploration of such deposits in the Bay of Bengal? One simple answer is that this country has not enough resources and expertise to look for offshore blocks full of oil or gas. It will have to hire foreign companies to do the job for it. Parties interested in doing the task for the country bargain for the best bet for them. There are huge non-living resources inside Bangladesh maritime zone. Co-littoral country Myanmar, to give but one example, is well ahead of Bangladesh in exploration of non-living resources in the sea. The government is now saying that it is ready to offer contracts to the private sector entrepreneurs at any cost and bring down risks for investors. It believes sustainable development of ocean resources is the key to ensuring that no person and no country were left behind. In fact, no country can claim success in achieving these development goals if any part of society is excluded from it. Since the maritime dispute between Bangladesh-Myanmar and Bangladesh-India centering the Bay of Bengal have been settled, Bangladesh needs to make an in-depth search and to explore the unknown resources hidden in the Bay of Bengal to the benefit of the country.