BSMRMU Seminar Proceedings - 2019

Seminar Proceedings
on
An Outlook for Sustainable
Maritime Development and Governance:
Challenges and Way Ahead
28 November 2019
Grand Ball Room, Hotel InterContinental, Dhaka
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Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh

January 2020
Seminar Proceedings on
An Outlook for Sustainable
Maritime Development and Governance:
Editorial Board
Chief Editor
Professor Dr Altaf Hussain
Members
Dr M Abul Hossion, Assistant Professor
Khandaker Atikur Rahman, Assistant Professor
Md Arif Mahmud, Assistant Professor
Mansura Akhter, Assistant Professor
Dr S M Mustafizur Rahman, Assistant Professor
Ahnaf Rahman, Lecturer
Md Zahidul Hasan, Section Officer
Ahmed Karim, Computer Programmer
Salman Sadekin Choyon, Public Relation Officer
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2 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Editorial Note
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU), Bangladesh, the
first maritime university in the country, was established in 2013 to provide the nation with
expert manpower in the maritime fields. BSMRMU has already started its journey toward
its motto, “We Strive for Maritime Excellence”. Towards fulfilling its goals, BSMRMU
is conducting undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in various maritime fields and
has collaboration with national and international educational and research organisations.
BSMRMU also organises seminars on various maritime issues of national and international
importance. The second international seminar, a day-long seminar, has been organises on
‘An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance: Challenges and Way
Ahead’ at Grand Ball Room, Hotel InterContinental, Dhaka, on 28 November 2019. More
than 500 participants from home and abroad attended the seminar.
This day-long international seminar had three sessions namely, i) Regional Maritime
Connectivity and Security, ii) Ocean Health and Governance, iii) Maritime Technology
and Harnessing Ocean Resources. In the seminar, distinguished speakers from home and
abroad presented 4 keynote papers and 9 invited papers on various maritime-related topics.
BSMRMU publishes proceedings of each of its seminar and the proceeding sub-committee
(editorial board) of the seminar has the task to publish the proceedings of the seminar.
Members of the editorial board had to prepare proceedings from the audio recordings and
also using the slides presented by the distinguish speakers in their presentations - the task
was not easy. Few distinguished speakers handed over the soft copies of their papers which
had to be edited a little bit to fit in the format of the proceedings. We tried our best to
publish the proceedings as presented in the seminar; however there are minor changes
made keeping the theme of the papers intact.
We are grateful to the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of BSMRMU, Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal,
for his support and constant guidance during the preparation of this seminar proceeding. We
thank Commodore A M Quamrul Huq, President of the Organising Committee and Treasurer
of BSMRMU, for his help and support in preparing the proceeding. An international seminar
of this magnitude owes its success to distinguish session chairs, speakers and participants
– BSMRMU gratefully acknowledges their participation. We sincerely thank teachers,
officers, students and staff members of BSMRMU for their support and cooperation to
make the seminar a successful one.
It was possible to publish the seminar proceeding only because of very hard and dedicated
teamwork by the editorial board members – thank you.
Professor Dr Altaf Hussain

Academic Adviser, BSMRMU
BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 3

Contents of the Proceedings
Inaugural Session
► Welcome Address by Vice-Chancellor, BSMRMU ■8
Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal, BSP, ndc, psc
► Speech by Special Guest ■ 10
Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, NBP, OSP, BCGM, PCGM, BCGMS, ndc, psc,
Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy
■ 12
► Speech by Special Guest
Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury, MP, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education,
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
► Speech by Chief Guest ■ 15
M A Mannan, MP,
Minister, Ministry of Planning,Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
► Keynote Paper - 1 ■ 18
Prospect of Blue Economy and Maritime Development for Bay of Bengal Littoral
Professor Chris Bellamy,
Maritime Security, University of Greenwich, and Consultant on Global and Maritime
Security and Defence, UK
Session 1
Session Theme - Regional Maritime Connectivity and Security
► Keynote Paper - 2■ 30
BIMSTEC at the Crossroads: Connectivity, Security and Sustainable Development
Admiral (Retd) Professor Jayanath Colombage, Pathfinder Foundation, Sri Lanka
► Paper - 1■ 34
Maritime Crime and Security: Bay of Bengal Perspective
Professor Lailufar Yasmin
Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
■ 42
► Paper - 2
Emerging Trends in Maritime Logistics and Connectivity
Ms Hassiba Benamara, Economic Affairs Officer
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Switzerland
► Paper - 3■ 52
Port and Shipping Management: Global Perspective
Mr Biju Ninan Oommen,
Senior Port and Maritime Transport Specialist, The World Bank, Singapore
► Comments of Session Chair ■ 60
Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Department of International Relations,
Director, Centre for Genocide Studies, University of Dhaka,Bangladesh
Session 2
Session Theme - Ocean Health and Governance
► Keynote Paper - 3 ■ 64

Impact of Maritime Law and UNCLOS III on Ocean Governance
Professor Andrew Serdy, Director, Institute of Maritime Law, Southampton University, UK
► Paper - 1■ 70
The Importance of Maintaining Ocean Health and Biodiversity and the Consequence for
Maritime Security
Mr Peter Cook, Director at PCA Maritime Ltd, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
► Paper - 2 ■ 78
Building Global Competencies for Sustainable Maritime Development and Better Governance
Professor Angelica M. Baylon, Maritime Science and Community Studies
Director, Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines
► Paper - 3■ 86
Ocean Governance: A Cornerstone for an Effective Implementation for Blue Economy Policies
Dr Pierre Failler, Professor, Department of Economics, Portsmouth University, UK
Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain, NBP, OSP, BCGMS, ndc, psc, (retd)
Adviser, Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development
Session 3
Session Theme - Maritime Technology and Harnessing Ocean Resources
► Keynote Paper - 4■ 94
Energy Scenario in the Bay of Bengal - Prospects and Challenges
Professor Dr Badrul Imam,
Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
► Paper - 1 ■ 100
Digitised, Interconnected and Energy-efficient Smart Port
Mr Richard Willis
Technical Director, Port Operations, Maritime & Aviation, Liverpool, UK,
Royal Haskoning DHV, Netherlands
► Paper - 2■ 106
Ocean Energy: The New Frontier in Asia
Professor Dr Omar Bin Yakoob,
Marine Technology Centre University Technology, Malaysia.
► Paper - 3■ 114
Prospects of Marine Natural Resources in Developing Health Care Products
Professor Dr Savita S. Kerkar
Department of Biotechnology, Goa University, India.
Professor Dr Aftab Alam Khan,
Department of Oceanography and Hydrography BSMRMU, Dhaka,Bangladesh
(Former Professor, Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.)
Concluding Session
► Seminar Resumé ■ 124
Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain, NBP, OSP, BCGMS, ndc, psc, (retd)

Seminar Theme
An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance:
For millennia, the ocean which is the main artery of globalisation has linked the
world together across continents. The trades between countries and continents
have laid the foundation for social development, economic growth, and reduced
poverty. Bangladesh is no exception being situated by the Bay of Bengal (BoB).
Its abundance of aquatic and marine resources has not yet been fully tapped in the
context of economic growth and sustainable maritime development. Bangladesh
has very successfully resolved the delimitation issue and gained a total of
118,813 square kilometres sea area in the BoB. Ensuring maritime connectivity
and security is paramount for Bangladesh’’s developmental aspirations which are
bounded by gradual progress through the vision 2021, Sustainable Development
Goal 2030, Vision 2041 and finally the 100 years Delta Plan. To ensure sustainable
maritime growth, the importance and necessity of securing maritime zones and
the management of its resources in coordination with the neighbouring countries,
where necessary, cannot be overruled. It is necessary to address existing threats
and vulnerabilities and realise the full potential of Blue Economy prospects for
Bangladesh. Besides, the challenges in the maritime environment call for more
effective enforcement of the governing rules, regulations and the maintenance
of maritime order. With all these in the viewpoint, it is utmost important that
an outlook is manifested to accrue maritime development in a sustainable
manner through seamless governance by relevant public and private maritime
stakeholders.
BSMRMU International Maritime Seminar highlighted the followings,

Session 1
Regional Maritime Connectivity and Security
Session 2
Ocean Health and Governance
Session 3
Maritime Technology and Harnessing Ocean Resources

Inaugural Session
Welcome Address by Vice-Chancellor, BSMRMU
Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal, BSP, ndc, psc
Speech by Special Guest

Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, NBP, OSP, BCGM, PCGM,
BCGMS, ndc, psc,
Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy.

Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury, MP, Deputy Minister, Ministry of
Education,
Speech by Chief Guest

M A Mannan, MP,
Minister, Ministry of Planning,Government of the People’s Republic
of Bangladesh
Keynote Paper - 1
Prospect of Blue Economy and Maritime Development for Bay of
Bengal Littoral
Professor Chris Bellamy,
Maritime Security, University of Greenwich, and Consultant on
Global and Maritime Security and Defence, UK

Welcome Address by
Vice Chancellor, BSMRMU
Rear Admiral Mohammad Khaled Iqbal, BSP, ndc, psc
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

Hon’ble Chief Guest Planning Minister M A Mannan, Special Guest Hon’ble Deputy Minister
of Education, Barrister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, MP. Special GuestAdmiral Aurangzeb
Chowdhury, NBP, OSP, BCGM, PCGM, BCGMS, ndc, psc,
Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy, Former Services Chiefs, learned Session Chairs and
Speakers, Senior Civil and Armed Forces Officers, Eminent Academicians, Marine Professionals,
Representatives from Maritime Stakeholders, Faculty Members and Students of BSMRMU,
Representatives from the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon. I would like to extend a
hearty welcome to all participants to this important maritime seminar.
It is a matter of immense pleasure and optimum satisfaction for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU) to host this seminar on “An Outlook for Sustainable
Maritime Development and Governance: Challenges and Way ahead”. I take special pride in the
fact that we have been able to arrange three different sessions on various maritime dimensions
with well researched papers and comments from sixteen eminent scholars and professionals from
home and abroad.
We are especially honoured to have amongst us the Hon’blePlanning Minister M.A. Mannan as
the Chief Guest, despite his busy schedule. It is believed that good governance is paramount in
8
harnessing sustainable maritime development. We believe connectivity, security, governance
and sustainable development go hand in hand. As such, the presence of our Hon’ble Chief Guest
clearly indicates the keen interest of the present government of Bangladesh in giving the necessary
momentum to the maritime sector.
We are also honoured to have with us the Special Guests, Hon’ble Deputy Minister for Education
Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, Chief of Naval Staff Bangladesh
Navy and Professor Kazi Shahidullah, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC), Bangladesh.
Ladies and gentlemen, though Bangladesh itself is comparatively a young nation, it has rich
maritime history, heritage and seafaring traditions. We are aware of the wonderful craftsmanship
of the master shipbuilders in Chattogramand Sandwip during the times of wooden ships, which
were of high demand in many European countries and elsewhere. Afterthe independence of
Bangladesh, our father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with whose
name this university has been proudly glorified, first gave this countrya ‘Maritime Vision’ by
promulgation of “Territorial waters and Maritime Zones Act 1974‟.
Thanks to the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, today we have
a huge maritime area of our own spanning 118,813 sq km. This has opened a wider horizon of
Blue Economy and scope for development of our coastal belt and maritime industries. We are
witnessing an unprecedented wave of economic development of our country in the recent years
with huge infrastructural development along the coastal belt. It is high time that we seek good
governance for sustainable maritime development and by organisingt his seminar, the university
endeavours to explore the challenges in this regard and ways to overcome those challenges.
The seminar will facilitate marine professionals, researchers, policy makers and stake holders to
promote ideas and thought process about future maritime pitfalls and potentials. But above all, it
will be a great learning and enriching experience for our students which would be hard to grasp
within the periphery of a classroom. Our vision should be inclusive taking everyone onboard.
Ladies and gentlemen, this seminar will cover 3 sessions.
The first session is about regional maritime connectivity and security including issues like role of
BIMSTEC the Bay of Bengal in connectivity, security and sustainability, maritime logistics, port
and shipping management. Ocean health and governance is our area of focus in the second session,
which could be seen as “living with the ocean and from the ocean in a sustainable way”. The final
session will highlight the issues related to exploiting maritime technology and harnessing ocean
resources. In fact, the establishing of BSMRMU in 2013 by the government has been a major step
towards that direction.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Better governance in maritime sector cannot be ensured by one actor alone rather it requires a
regional approach. Only when we adopt a united and holistic approach in this regard, we can fetch
expected outcome.
Before I conclude, I must show my sincerest gratitude to the Hon’ble President of Bangladesh, Mr
Abdul Hamid, who as the Hon’ble Chancellor of this university always gives us the inspiration
and courage to the take this university forward. I would also like to express my thanks to the
Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission for their policy guidelines in line
with maritime higher education. Once again, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the
Hon’ble Chief Guest, Special Guests, former Service Chiefs, learned speakers, media and all
the guests from home and abroad for participating in this seminar to enrich sustainable maritime
development and governance. Thank you very much.

Speech of Special Guest
Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, NBP, OSP, BCGM, PCGM, BCGMS, ndc, psc
Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy

Respected Chief Guest of today’s Seminar Hon’ble Minister for Planning Mr MA Mannan, MP,
Hon’ble Deputy Minister of Education, Barrister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, MP, The Vice-
Chancellor of BSMRMU, Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal, Session Chairs of different sessions,
Scholarly Keynote Speakers and Speakers from both home and abroad, Renowned Professionals
on Maritime Affairs, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, AssalamuAlaikum and Good
Morning.
It is a privilege for me to be here today in this international seminar on a very important global
issue related to the Blue Economy. As a maritime nation and one of the littoral states of this
region, Bangladesh cannot remain behind on coping up with very challenges related to maritime
development. Sustainable maritime development mostly depends on good governance on
maritime affairs and maritime governance denotes assurance of maritime security, protection
and preservation of marine environment, conserving marine living and non-living resources
and preventing marine pollution, piracy, human and drug trafficking and narco-terrorism in our
maritime area.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bangladesh has vast maritime interests and the responsibilities of protecting these interests fall
squarely on the shoulders of men in white uniform, as it is the responsibility of the Navy and
the Coast Guard to ensure that our maritime interests are allowed to be developed unhindered at
all times. Bangladesh Navy continues to ensure maritime security for national prosperity under
10
four basic roles, military, constabulary, benign and diplomatic. Under the military role, our Navy
is always prepared to deal with any exigency and threat to maritime security and undertakes
frequent exercises to enhance its capabilities. Under the constabulary role, the Navy ensures the
coastal and offshore security in our waters and in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Under the benign
role, the Bangladesh Navy undertakes maritime and disaster relief operations and provides rapid
response to contingencies. Under the Diplomatic Role, the Navy has expanded its operational
foot print in the Indian Ocean and beyond, to engage with other navies of the world for interaction
and exercises. The aim is to shape a favourable maritime environment and provide avenues for
cooperation for mutual benefit. The engagement with the navies includes capacity building
and capability enhancement initiatives and information exchange for comprehensive Maritime
Domain Awareness.
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), launched in 2008, is a unique initiative to manage
the maritime affairs of the countries of the Indian Ocean Region. Over the years, the IONS has
emerged as an effective organisation with membership of 23 navies and 9 observers. Bangladesh
is an active member of IONS and contributed significantly towards strengthening the maritime
cooperation mechanism between the navies of the region. The Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA) is another organisation which provides the avenue for the strengthening maritime
cooperation between countries of the Indian Ocean Region. Recent years have witnessed synergy
between IONS and IORA for promoting maritime cooperation.
As a maritime force, Bangladesh Navy has seen an unforeseen development over the last few
years. Under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,
Bangladesh Navy is now a three-dimensional navy with considerable size and remarkable
capability. Moreover, our naval designers have designed and our indigenous shipyards have built
ships for Bangladesh Navy, which has paved the way for our transition from a buyer Navy to a
builder’s Navy.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our father of the nation was the architect of our maritime
vision who enacted “The Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act 1974”. In 2013, our Hon’ble
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina realised that being a maritime nation, we should have a specialised
university for higher study in maritime related disciplines and conducting research in maritime
fields. Due to personal initiative and keen interest of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, our dream came true when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University,
Bangladesh came into being in 2013. Since inception, Bangladesh Navy has been providing all
out support to this university for creating efficient human resources in maritime fields. Today’s
international seminar is an output of such initiative.
Finally, once again I would like to thank the BSMRMU family specially, the Vice-Chancellor of
BSMRMU, for inviting me to today’s auspicious occasion. I believe and hope that spectators of
today’s seminar will be benefitted immensely from the discussions, to be held in different sessions.
I wish the seminar a grand success.
Thank you all,

Allah Hafez.

Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury, MP,
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education,

Hon’ble Minister of Planning, Muhammad Abdul Mannan, Hon’ble Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral
Aurangzeb Chowdhury and Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Maritime University, Bangladesh Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal, Session chairs of different
sessions, Learned Keynote Speakers and Speakers from home and abroad, dear academicians,
faculty members, prominent professionals on maritime sectors, distinguished guests and my dear
students of BSMRMU.
Assalamu Alaikum and Good Morning.
First of all, It’s a great matter of pride and privilege to attend this international seminar and
attend before you as a special guest. I express my sincere thanks to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU) authority for arranging such a seminar. The theme of
this seminar is indeed a necessary and the most appropriate platform to share maritime knowledge.
12
Dear Audience,
As we all know, Oceans cover 72% of the surface of our blue planet and constitute more than
95% of the biosphere. Life originated in the oceans and they continue to support all life today by
generating oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, recycling nutrients and regulating global climate
and temperature. Oceans provide a substantial portion of the global population with food and
livelihoods and are the means of transport for 80% of global trade. Therefore, ocean can play a
vital role in developing any countries economy.
Bangladesh truly is a maritime nation and with a history that can be traced back to thousands of
years. Recorded maritime history says that during 50,000 BC people of South Asian region went
down to the pacific islands with wooden sailing ships. And the human civilisation was spread
over the other parts of the world through such sea-expeditions. The importance of opening was
first understood by the Father of our Nation and the architect of maritime vision Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Following his farsighted vision he enacted “The Territorial Waters and
Maritime Zones Act” to establish Bangladesh’s sovereign rights in the sea in 1974. It surprises
many scholars and analysts today that the charter of the United Nation’s Convention on Law of
The Sea which was promulgated in 1982 was very much similar to most of the provisions of
the territorial act which was enacted in Bangladesh eight years ago. Such was the marvel of his
wisdom. It is thirty five years later similar statesmanship and wisdom was demonstrated by the
Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she decided for settlement of maritime delimitation
issue with India and Myanmar through international courts.
With that dispute we have finally delimited sea area that is about 1.5 times larger than the land
area. There are more than 200 rivers all around the country, with a total length of about 22,155
km, which occupy about 11% of total area of the country. Almost all sorts of economic activities
have linkage with this sector. So, proper utilisation of the maritime sector can lead us into the
socioeconomic development of the people of this region.
Ladies and Gentleman,
We know the maritime sector comprises the shipping industry, shipping or maritime transport as
well as associated all organisations/ sectors such as ports, suppliers, equipment manufacturers,
ship building-ship breaking, ship brokers, maritime lawyers, financial institutions etc. It is with
the combination of all of these sectors that we can effectively safeguard and harness our enormous
ocean resources. Therefore, I think Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University
(BSMRMU) will create competent manpower with scientific and proper knowledge in these sectors.
The establishment of the ever first specialised maritime university in the country is a great success
of the government and the people of Bangladesh. It is expected that the BSMRMU will also act
as a coordination body among maritime security organisations like navy, coastguard, public and
private universities, marine academies, institutions, etc. regarding higher maritime education in
Bangladesh. It will set a common goal, avoid duplication in research and, thus, all maritime
institutes and academies will act in harmony.
Dear Audience,
Bangladesh government is developing very fast with various development goals such as SDG
and DELTA Plan. It is well known that investment in knowledge plays the best interest. Therefore
from initiating free textbook schemes to introducing ICT in classrooms, government prioritises
education from every sector. Government planned to disseminate education in every levels
starting from primary levels to university. We have established a number of public universities
in different corners of Bangladesh making it easier for the students to achieve higher studies.
According to data of the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the literacy rate in Bangladesh rose from

46.66% in 2007 to 72.76% in 2016—a figure expected to grow even further in the near future. It
is indeed a praiseworthy achievement of the government.
At this juncture, I would like to say, I am very pleased to know the themes of various sessions of
this seminar. The seminar covers important issues from regional connectivity to Ocean governance
and harnessing sustainable energy.
We have seen Bangladesh’s export trade has grown rapidly over the last decade. The Bay of
Bengal (BoB) Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
allows seamless and secure connectivity in inland and hinterland. But, BIMSTEC is facing new
challenges in overcoming underdeveloped logistics infrastructure, dilapidated infrastructure, and
incessant supply chain disruptions and has much security. We need to mitigate these issues which
will provide us a sustainable economic growth.
Distinguished Guests,
Energy demands of nations are rising to support the expanding economic and services sector
activities and rapid industrialisation. For sustainable development,exploration of offshore gas and
oil and the high possibilities of getting energy sources in the coastal region and in the BoB are
echoing some good news for the nation. With this at the backdrop, it is preferable for an energy
deficit country like Bangladesh to explore the ocean for profitable extraction of energy where
proper research and knowledge must be shared.
Each sovereign country is responsible for its own resources and sustainable development.
Every coastal nation is endeavouring relentlessly to benefit from both economic and ecological
perspectives by ensuring optimum utilisation of these resources. To maintain good governance of
this vast region, littoral nations need to work together, maintaining good relationships with a wide
range of co-operation, collaboration, understanding and partnership to utilise the utmost potential
of the available resources for the greater benefit of humankind.
At last, I would like to say that each of the sessions in this seminar is very important and I believe
that the papers to be presented will give us a good food for thought. I am sure that the outcome
of the seminar will be disseminated accordingly and would be addressed by the appropriate
authorities of Bangladesh for achieving our maritime vision.
I would like to conclude by again emphasising on the huge potential of the sea resources and we
must keep that in mind. We need an ocean policy to really restrict the misuse or unscrupulous
use of the sea. Once again, thank you very much for inviting me and I thank everybody, who has
organised this seminar.
I wish the seminar a grand success.
Thank you very much. Thank you all.

Bangladesh ChirojibiHouk.

Speech by Chief Guest
M A Mannan, MP
Minister, Ministry of Planning,

Respected Chairperson of today’s seminar and Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh (BSMRMU) Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal.
Today’s Special Guest Hon’ble Deputy Minister of Education, Barrister Mohibul Hassan
Chowdhoury, MP, Hon’ble Chief of the Naval Staff, Session Chairs of different sessions, Learned
Keynote Speakers and Speakers of both home and abroad, Prominent Professionals on Maritime
Sectors, Distinguished Guests, faculty members and my dear students of BSMRMU, Bangladesh.
Assalamu Alaikum and Good Morning.
It is a great matter of pride and privilege for me to attend this international seminar and stand
before you as the Chief Guest. For this, I would like to give my sincere thanks to the BSMRMU
authority, specially the hon’ble Vice-Chancellor Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal.
15
Our blue planet has a dominance of the maritime domain with over 70% of the Earth’s surface
covered by water, nearly 80% of the world population living within 200 nautical miles from the
coast and about 90% of the world’s trade transiting by sea. Bangladesh is located at the northern
end of the Bay of Bengal, the largest Bay in the world and we have seven countries surrounding
the water of the Bay, which are littoral neighbours. 94% of Bangladesh’s trade is transported by
sea and contributes significantly to its economy. We are bestowed with a long coastline and sea
faring traditions and huge maritime interests to explore and exploit.
Foreseeing the importance of the sea for our future destiny, our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman promulgated “Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act” in 1974,
which was a milestone in the maritime history of Bangladesh. In this continuation, under the
visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, there has been intense activity
in last one decade in the maritime domain coupled with establishment of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh, a specialised university for higher study and
research on maritime related subjects.
The Central Theme of the international seminar “An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime
Development and Governance: Challenges and Way Ahead” covers a vast area. Sustainable
Maritime Development and Governance - both are intimately and intricately connected to each
other and both of them involves many elements. If we look at our country, we find that Ocean and
extensive inland waterways are integral part of Bangladesh’s economic development. Bangladesh
has one of the largest inland waterway networks in the world with nearly 6,000 km of inland
navigational waterways. Thereby, Bangladesh is committed towards sustained development of
the seas and her inland waterways and harnessing the Blue Economy.
The seventh five-year plan of Bangladesh has underlined the importance of the Blue Economy
and identified specific projects for sustainable growth, which include fisheries, deep-sea fishing,
renewable energy, maritime industry including ship and boat building, maintenance of inland
waterways and eco-tourism.With depletion of resources on land, humankind has turned towards
the oceans and there is a misperception that oceans have an unending resource base and are
an infinite sink. Nothing can be further away from reality. Over the past few decades, we are
witnessing pollution of the oceans and contamination of the natural marine habitat with adverse
impact of climate change on oceans. Studies have indicated that 80% of pollutants in the seas
originate from land and if the current rate of pollution continues, in a few decades we will have
more plastic in the oceans than fish.
The seas are no longer a benign medium and globalisation has resulted in increased vulnerability
of the oceans. The threats and challenges in the maritime domain of the Bay of Bengal are as
wide and varied as they come. We never imagined that in the 21st century we would once again
fight with pirates or that the major threat in the maritime domain would come from asymmetric
warfare and maritime terrorism. The other challenges include arms trafficking, drug smuggling,
human trafficking and poaching. In addition, nearly 70% of natural disasters originate in the
Indian Ocean Region providing additional challenges. Given the geo-strategic importance of the
region and the fact that the Indian Ocean has emerged as the global economic highway, nearly
120 warships from over 20 nations are always present in the Indian Ocean Region to safeguard
their maritime interests.

To harness the Blue Economy by efficient utilisation of marine resources is a huge challenge for
the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. To face this challenge, the littoral states shall have to have
intensive co-operation and co-ordination bilaterally and multi-laterally.
I hope that the essence which will come out from today’s seminar will facilitate the policy makers
to harness the Blue Economy by sustainable maritime development in Bangladesh.
I had an intention to stay with you and enjoy the seminar. But I am quite undone that I shall have
to leave after the Inaugural Session due to my busy schedule.
Last of all, once again I would like to give my sincere thanks to BSMRMU family, especially
Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of BSMRMU for inviting and giving me opportunity to talk to you in
such a grand gathering.
I wish the seminar an all-out success.

Thank you. Bangladesh Chirojibi Houk.

KEYNOTE PAPER - 1
Prospects of Blue Economy

and Maritime Development for
Bay of Bengal Littorals
Professor Chris Bellamy
Maritime Security, University of Greenwich and
Consultant on Global and Maritime Security and Defence, UK
18
Abstract
The ‘Blue Economy’ is an emerging concept which encourages better stewardship of our ocean or
blue resources. Turning to the Bay of Bengal, the population of the littoral countries is estimated
at 1.4 billion. It is estimated that the resources from the sea of Bangladesh constitute 81% of the
resources existing in its land territory. As the population increases, the vast resources of the sea
can be used to feed them. However, although Blue Economy requires close cooperation between
adjacent states. But current political developments are, if anything, running in the opposite
direction. India has constructed new bases in Nicobar and Andaman Islands. It is obvious that
the aim is to be better able to survey Chinese activity in the Malacca Strait. The Chinese were
also shocked by India’s treaty with Singapore to be able to use the Naval Base at Changi. China’s
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is critically dependent on the new Maritime Silk Road across the
Indian Ocean. Although the oceans have traditionally been the ‘global commons’, open to all,
the creation of Exclusive Economic Zones extending out to 200 nm and claims to the Extended
Continental Shelf out to 350 nm mean that the seas are becoming territorialised, and this may
– probably will – lead to disputes rather than cooperation. But Bangladesh is ideally suited to
utilise the Bay of Bengal’s immense potential for food, fuel and energy to drive its economic
development in a sustainable manner.
Introduction
According to the World Bank, the Blue Economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for
economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem.
All the nations around the Bay of Bengal have massive prospects about the application of the Blue
Economy. Areas in this bay may be fruitfully used for maritime transport, shipbuilding and ship
recycling activities. There is a huge prospect of oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal and
already exploration is going in the areas of Myanmar and Indian waters. Bangladesh is yet to take
advantage of this oil and gas exploration in this area. Fishing, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and
marine tourism sectors may be developed in this region. If the authorities can maintain sustainable
use of resources then all the adjacent nations will be benefitted by the Blue Economy.
There are however surprisingly few attempts by strategic analysts to take a coherent view of
security problems around the Bay of Bengal. Indeed, analysts rarely even see it as a region,
usually drawing a sharp dividing line through the middle of the bay, between South Asia and
Southeast Asia. Perhaps it is now time to better understand the Bay of Bengal as a coherent
strategic region within the broader framework of the Indo-Pacific region.
Today, the Bay of Bengal region is the convergence of two major geopolitical blocs- the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC). The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisector Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) promotes regional engagement in the area. Adjacent countries of this
bay are often categorised into a maritime sub-region. The bay hosts vital shipping routes linking
its littoral and landlocked hinterland with the Indian Ocean. Its sea bed is being explored and
exploited for hydrocarbon reserves.
Littoral
Definitions of littoral may vary. The most accurate meaning as per the dictionary is the area near
the seashore or the area between high and low tide. The general concept of littoral is the territorial
sea which extends up to 12 nautical miles from the coast into the sea. The 12 nautical miles area
is normally called the territorial sea limits for a nation.

For an oceanographer, the littoral is the continental shelf and the sea area covering the neritic zone
and the intertidal zone. In marine biology, the neritic zone is also called as coastal waters and it
refers to that zone of the ocean where sunlight reaches the ocean floor, that is, where the water
is not very deep. It starts with a shallow water region up to the depth of about 200 meters. This
zone covers about 8% of the total ocean floor and is the area most populated by benthic organisms
owing to the penetration of sunlight to these shallow depths.
Figure 1, The map of the Bay of Bengal, the largest bay in the world.
To the military, it is the area of the shore where sea-based power can influence conflict on land.
For example, it may be mentioned that the USA is building littoral warfare ships which are
effective in the territorial sea or up to the 12 nautical miles limit. Littoral is where military power
can be deployed directly from the sea.
Figure .2 : showing the extends of the continental shelf, Intertidal zone and the Neritic zone

The Blue Economy
The Blue Economy concept started its journey around 2004 but was internationally recognised
from 2012 as a complement to the Green Economy. The “Rio +20” United Nations Conference
on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), held in Rio de Janeiro, 20-22 June 2012, focused on
two key themes; the further development and refinement of the Institutional Framework for
Sustainable Development and the advancement of the Green Economy concept. The meeting, in
its outcome document, reaffirmed poverty eradication as its key challenge: Eradicating poverty
is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for
sustainable development. In this regard, we are committed to freeing humanity from poverty and
hunger as a matter of urgency.
The Green Economy concept is structured to reflect this, being explicitly based and presented
in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication: Throughout the preparatory
process for Rio +20, many coastal countries questioned the focus of the Green Economy and its
applicability to them. Strong positions were presented to the Rio +20 preparatory process for
a Blue Economy approach. The oceans, including humankind’s common heritage of the High
Seas, represent in many respects the final frontier for humanity and its quest for sustainable
development. Institutional efforts were made to expand the blue aspect of the Green Economy as
embodied in the Green Economy in a Blue World, but international momentum has moved beyond
this. Throughout and subsequent to the Rio +20 process there has been a growing appreciation that
the world’s Oceans and Seas require more in-depth attention and coordinated action. Prominence
is given to oceans and seas in the UN five-year Action Agenda 2012-2016.
Coastal and Island developing countries have remained at the forefront of this Blue Economy
advocacy, recognising that the oceans have a major role to play in humanity’s future and that the
Blue Economy offers an approach to sustainable development better suited to their circumstances,
constraints and challenges.
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) , Life Below water

A United Nations representative recently defined the Blue Economy as an economy that comprises
of a range of economic sectors and related policies that together determine whether the use of
ocean resources is sustainable. An important challenge of the Blue Economy is to understand and
better manage the many aspects of oceanic sustainability, ranging from sustainable fisheries to
ecosystem health to preventing pollution. Secondly, the Blue Economy challenges us to realise
that the sustainable management of ocean resources will require collaboration across borders and
sectors through a variety of partnerships, and on a scale that has not been previously achieved.
This is a tall order, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed
Countries (LDCs) who face significant limitations. The UN notes that the Blue Economy will aid
in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, of which one goal, 14, is Life below Water.
The Ocean Economy was on centre stage at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos
held in January 2019, it was arguably the most important economic conference in the world.
While scientists have been sounding the alarm about climate change for a while, it seems the world
is suddenly taking notice. Perhaps it was due to the recent reports from the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that laid out a bleak future for humanity if we don’t change
our ways, with the alarming reality that we have less than 12 years for humanity to turn the tide.
The ocean economy is estimated to account for 3%-5% of global GDP, with assets worth USD 24
trillion. Key ocean advocates such as Al Gore, Michelle Bachelet and Marc Benioff addressed
the question.

Figure 3. The different sectors of business that can be linked with the Blue Economy.
Energy
The seabed currently provides 32% of the global supply of hydrocarbons with exploration
expanding. Expected to rise to 34% by 2025 and higher subsequently, as almost half the remaining
recoverable conventional oil is estimated to be in offshore fields - a quarter of that in deep water.
Advanced technologies are opening new frontiers of marine resource development from bio-
prospecting to the mining of seabed mineral resources. The sea also offers vast potential for
renewable Blue Energy production from wind, wave, tidal, thermal and biomass sources.
Figure 4, Offshore Oil and Gas drilling Rigs in the Bay of Bengal installed by India.
The Bay of Bengal was largely ignored by international oil and gas companies until the end of
the 20th century. Since the late 1990s, however, India’s revamped New Exploration Licensing
Policy (NELP) has led to more than 60 offshore exploration blocks being issued along its east

coast. Exploration has yielded some significant gas discoveries, with Reliance Industries Ltd
commencing production from its hugely significant Dhirubhai deepwater gas development in
April 2009. Production now stands at 2.1 Billion Cubic Feet per day (Bcfpd) which is about 60
million m3 per day of oil and gas and has virtually doubled India’s gas output.
South Korean conglomerate Daewoo has made a natural gas discovery in Block D-12 in the Bay
of Bengal in Bangladesh, adjacent to Myanmar’s Block AD 7, in a basin that is shared between
Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh could hold five prospective structures near three gas fields
in Myanmar having 226 billion cubic metres (bcm) of reserves. Daewoo has a contract with the
Bangladesh government that allows for exploration in deep seas until 2022. It plans to carry a 3D
survey at Block 12, and, if findings are confirmed, it will start drilling activities.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) of India invested Rs 340.12bn (USD 5.07bn) in Oil
and Gas exploration. The Cluster 2 field is divided into two blocks namely 2A and 2B, whose
development is estimated to cost approximately Rs 340.12bn (USD 5.07bn). The field is expected
to produce 23.52 million metric tons (mmt) of oil and 50.70 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas.
The first well at the KG-DWN 98/2 block was Surface Hole Drilled (spud) in April 2018, while
first gas was produced in June 2019. The first oil extraction is anticipated to be produced in March
2020. Development in this field is expected to be completed by June 2020.
Large amounts of potentially producible gas hydrate found in the Indian Ocean on 25 July 2016.
It was a result of a partnership between the government of India, the government of Japan, and
the scientists from the USA. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has assisted the
government of India in the discovery of highly enriched accumulations of natural gas hydrate
in the Bay of Bengal. This is the first discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean that has the
potential to be producible. Natural gas hydrates are a naturally occurring, ice-like combination of
natural gas and water found in the world’s oceans and polar regions. The amount of gas within
the world’s gas hydrate accumulations is estimated to greatly exceed the volume of all known
conventional gas resources.
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exclusive economic zones (EEZs) would cut off Bangladesh’s access to the continental shelf and
leave it with a disproportionately small EEZ relative to the length of its coastline. As a result,
Myanmar and Bangladesh made competing claims to a section of ocean and seabed extending
southwest in a widening sliver from the seaward terminus of their land border.
The tribunal did not take into account the position of St. Martin’s Island and its effect on the EEZ
and continental shelf boundary. Unfortunately, the Tribunal’s (ITCLOS’s) success in attracting
this relatively low-stake case might actually diminish larger powers’ willingness to submit to its
judgment. ITLOS is no longer a blank slate onto which both parties can project their hoped-for
outcomes. Its decisions on maritime boundary disputes, together with those of other bodies, are
evolving into an established body of jurisprudence on the subject. Parties to disputes increasingly
have at least a general idea of what the outcome of their case might be, and they are unlikely to
enter into litigation if they might not like the result.
On 7 July 2014, an Arbitral Tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (the Convention) issued its award in the Bay of Bengal
Maritime Boundary Arbitration between the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic
of India, granting approximately 106,613km2 to Bangladesh and 300,220 km2 to India, out of
a total relevant area of 406,833km2. The award provides much-needed clarity on the maritime
entitlements of both Bangladesh and India. As the 2012 decision of the International Tribunal for
the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in the Bangladesh/Myanmar case, a consequence of the delimitation
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in maritime areas to achieve a Figure 6. The final limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for
favourable solution for all parties. Bangladesh in Bay of Bengal.
Food
Thoni (small rounded boats or Kerala boats) and catamaran fishing boats of fishing villages
thrive along the Bay of Bengal shorelines. Fishermen can catch between 26 and 44 species of
marine fish. In one year, the average catch for Bangladesh is about two million tons of fish from
the Bay of Bengal alone. Approximately 31% of the world’s coastal fishermen live and work
on the bay. Fisheries production in the Bay of Bengal as a whole is six million tonnes per year,
more than 7% of the world’s catch. The major transboundary issues relating to shared fisheries
are a decline in the overall availability of fish resources; changes in species composition of
catches; the high proportion of juvenile fish in the catch; and changes in marine biodiversity,

especially through loss of vulnerable and endangered species. The transboundary natures
of these issues are: that many fish stocks are shared between adjacent countries through the
transboundary migration of fish, or larvae. Fishing overlaps national jurisdictions, both legally
and illegally – overcapacity and overfishing in one location force migration of fishers and vessels
to other locations. All countries (to a greater or lesser degree) are experiencing difficulties in
implementing fisheries management, especially the ecosystem approach to fisheries. The Bay
of Bengal countries contribute significantly to the global problem of loss of vulnerable and
endangered species. 350 million jobs worldwide are linked to fisheries, most of them by small
fisheries in developing countries
Some 15 to 17% of the protein consumed by the world’s population is provided from sea resources
and exceeds 50% many least-developed countries. Fisheries are now overexploited, some 80% of
the world’s fish stocks for which assessment information is available are reported as fully exploited
or overexploited. However, there is still plenty of room for aquaculture and offshore wind power.
Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector with a supply of 58% of fish to global markets.
Aquaculture
Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector and provides about 50% of fish for human
consumption. With aquaculture, it is possible to supply 58% of fish to global markets. Aquaculture
is vital to food security of the poorest countries and the developing nations. One estimate suggests
that by 2050 one half of the world’s 9 billion population could be fed from the sea. Against this,
however, Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported (IUU) fishing affects about 20% of the global fish
yields, which costs about USD 23 billion a year.
Figure 8. Aquaculture may be a new sector for fish farming in the Bay of Bengal.
Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) project

Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand are
working together through the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) project to
lay the foundations for a coordinated programme of action designed to better the lives of the
coastal populations through improved regional management of the Bay of Bengal environment,
its resources and transboundary issues. While a considerable amount of information on the marine
environment and its resources has been generated by individual countries in the Bay of Bengal,

there has, to date, been very few attempts to aggregate this information to produce a bay-wide
overview; and by doing so, facilitate a better-integrated understanding of how the Bay of Bengal
functions on a large scale. This information is also fundamental to any future activities relating
to transboundary resources management, such as the implementation of the BOBLME Strategic
Action Programme.
Politics and Strategy

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India comprising 572 islands of which 37
are inhabited. The territory is about 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated
from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman
(partly) to the north and the Nicobar Islands to the south, separated by the 150 km wide Ten
Degree Channel on 10th parallel (10 degrees North Latitude).
India has been developing defence facilities on the islands since the 1980s. The islands now have a
key position in India’s strategic role in the Bay of Bengal and the Malacca Strait. The Andaman and
Nicobar Command is the first and only Tri-service Theatre Command of the IAF. Created in 2001
to safeguard India’s strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing
rapid deployment of military assets in the region. It provides logistical and administrative support
to naval ships which are sent on deployment to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
A joint command at Andaman and Nicobar would help in to prevent smuggling, piracy, drug and
gun trafficking, poaching and illegal immigration in the region and especially in the Malacca
Strait. The command would also be in a position to assist the multinational Malacca Straits
Security Initiative, aimed at curbing down the threats in the Malacca Straits. An Indian command
in the islands could also counter any future threat from China, which was rumoured to have set
up a surveillance post in Myanmar’s Coco Islands, 40 km off the northern tip of the Andaman,
but this was proved incorrect.
Rohingya Crisis
The Rohingya Refugee crisis has become a major issue for Myanmar and Bangladesh. Fleeing
population blames the security forces back in Myanmar for burning their villages, rapes, and
mass killings. In addition, the Rohingya Muslim population is now stateless as Myanmar rejected
citizenship to Rohingya people.
The Rohingyas, who numbered around one million in Myanmar at the start of 2017, are one of
the many ethnic minorities in the country. Rohingya Muslims represent the largest percentage of
Muslims in Myanmar, with the majority living in Rakhine state. They have their own language
and culture and say they are descendants of Arab traders and other groups who have been in
the region for generations. But the government of Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country,
denies the Rohingya citizenship and even excluded them from the 2014 census, refusing to
recognise them as a people.
Risking death by sea or on foot, nearly 700,000 have fled the destruction of their homes and
persecution in the northern Rakhine province of Myanmar (Burma) for neighbouring Bangladesh
since late August 2017. The United Nations described the military offensive in Rakhine, which
provoked the exodus, as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
The Rohingya refugees are a threat to the security problem in this region. One analysis sees the
Rohingya a crisis as fueling jihadist sentiments in other countries in the region, notably Indonesia
and Malaysia. Calls for ‘jihad’ in Myanmar were made by extremist groups in all these countries
following the 2012 Rohingya refugee influx into Bangladesh, and a similar jihadist flare-up is
now developing in the wake of the latest atrocities reported. They cite evidence for this from

Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. In Indonesia, for example, ‘the Indonesian online jihadist
community even furnished their Facebook pages with various Rohingya-related propaganda posts
and pictures, including a map which provides a possible travel route for potential Indonesian
jihadists to enter Myanmar via Aceh.
Figure 9: Spread of Rohingya inside and outside Myanmar.
Ambiguity around ocean resource management creates opportunities for grey zone competition
and resource conflict. One Earth Future’s Sarah Glaser highlighted how unclear maritime
boundaries in Africa combine with migrating fish stocks to drive fisheries conflict between African
states. Meanwhile, stocks that move from EEZs into international waters become vulnerable to
overfishing by distant-water fishing powers such as China, Russia, and the European Union.
Competition between local and distant-water fishers can also drive conflict. Areas of legal
ambiguity can also become grey zone competition hotspots. States such as Russia and China
can exploit uncertainty to advance their security objectives—such as access to fisheries and key
shipping lanes—while avoiding the escalation thresholds created by strong institutions.
Conclusion
The Bay of Bengal is making, and will continue to make an enormous contribution to the
‘Blue Economy’. The main ones are energy, using new discoveries and technology, and food,
particularly protein and aquaculture. Tourism is already well developed but could be expanded
further. The Bay of Bengal is a unique environment and offers huge prospects for ‘green’, ‘blue’
and other ‘sustainable development’ for all the littoral states, and its importance extends beyond
the immediate Bay of Bengal shoreline to states far inland and beyond including the Andaman
littoral - Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and even Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives. As always,
it is politics which sometimes gets in the way. The ‘bad news’ is the security issues: the potential
threat from China, and, above all, the tragedy of the Rohingya, forced to move from Myanmar into
Bangladesh. This can be dealt with, but the International Community is dissatisfied with Myanmar
in this regard. Therefore, the very positive cooperation achieved in 2012 now looks at risk.

Session 1
Keynote Paper -2
BIMSTEC at the Crossroads: Connectivity, Security
and Sustainable Development
Paper-1
Maritime Crime and Security: Bay of Bengal
Perspective
Paper-2
Emerging Trends in Maritime Logistics and
Connectivity
Paper-3
Port and Shipping Management:
Global Perspective
Comments of Session Chair

Session Theme
Regional Maritime Connectivity and Security
Seas have always been instrumental in defining the destiny of
the world, be it as a means of transportation or as trade routes or
as a hub of resources. They have also played a significant role in
bringing people closer, melting down of cultures and religions;
and it definitely helped in spreading new ideas and thoughts.
Oceans and major rivers divide people, but they also connect
them. Today, seaborne and riverine trade and investment
connectivity in this part of the world are lagging well behind
world standards. Considering geo-economical positioning the
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN), Bangladesh, China,
India, Myanmar (BCIM) and BoB Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) together
can make up a BIMSTEC++ to encompass a number of future
great economies of the world. This would call for strengthening
maritime and inland waterways connectivity for economic
and peace dividends in the region. But peaceful economic
activity along the connectivity architecture cannot be ensured
without a paradigmatic security to fit the particular regional
geographic setting. The development of a complex connectivity
architecture and security paradigm to fit the geographic setting
of the BoB surrounding region is not an easy undertaking. But
in the interest of sustainable development a regional integration
through seamless connectivity need to be achieved, for which
the ways, means and tools are also to be identified through
researches, discussions and deliberations.

KEYNOTE PAPER - 2
BIMSTEC at the Crossroads:

Connectivity, Security and
Sustainable Development
Admiral (retd) Professor Jayanath Colombage
Pathfinder Foundation, Sri Lanka
30 30 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Abstract
Maritime security is an important aspect of common security in the Bay of Bengal (BOB).
Economies of many BOB littorals are mostly dependent on the ocean and as a result, there are
many stakeholders in the ocean. The region needs to maintain a high level of maritime security.
We need to avoid mistrust and trust deficiency and also avoid potential conflict due to the rivalry
between the superpowers and aspiring powers. We need inclusive and collaborative security
architecture for BOB. We need to enhance capabilities and capacities and develop a greater
understanding of the issues and advantages of collaborative efforts.
The FAO has stated that 40% of fishing taking place in the Indian Ocean is Illegal Unregulated
and Unreported (IUU). Human-induced and land-based pollution account for 80% of ocean
pollution. The ocean temperature has risen 13% more than scientists anticipated. The ocean
salinity and acidification are increasing too. We need to be mindful and understand the danger
posed by sea level rising and loss of marine ecosystems and habitats in the BOB region. We
need to adhere to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 14- Life Below Water and
here again collaborative and regional approach is essential. We need to embark on sustainable
exploitation of ocean resources as per Blue Economy concepts to preserve the marine environment
whilst achieving economic prosperity. There is no doubt that the future of the BIMSTEC region
depends to a large extent on the ocean. We need to embark on sustainable exploitation of ocean
resources whilst protecting the very ocean upon which our future depends.
Introduction
To describe the Indian Ocean in six words, this is a region of –
● Strategic Competition,
● Strategic Convergences and
● Strategic Dilemma.
The Strategic Competition is between the major powers. Strategic convergences are against some
major powers against others. Strategic Dilemma for smaller and less militarily powerful countries
who are trying to develop themselves like- Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and many others.
The Indian Ocean littorals are caught up in a security dilemma or strategic dilemma. Everything
that we do is seeing through the lens of securitisation by many powers and therefore, we are not
free to make decisions based on economies. First, we have to satisfy the strategic aspirations of
major powers. We know that the Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world. And nearly 2.5
billion people living in the Indian Ocean littorals, that’s nearly one-third of the world population.
Fast developing and developed economies like Japan, China, India and even Bangladesh are
either in or in close proximity to this great Indian Ocean.
Also not forgetting the African continent and also the Key Persian countries, which actually
connect the great Indian Ocean to the western pacific. We know that the major powers are
focusing their tension on the Indian Ocean. We see this competition every day in front of our
eyes. We know that India is the biggest power in the Indian Ocean economically, militarily and
geographically.
Also not forgetting the African continent and also the Key Persian countries, which actually
connect the great Indian Ocean to the western pacific. We know that the major powers are
focusing their tension on the Indian Ocean. We see this competition every day in front of our

eyes. We know that India is the biggest power in the Indian Ocean economically, militarily and
geographically.
Then also we have China as a new power in the Indian Ocean especially after around 2009. Then
we have the USA, which is still the pre-eminent economic and military power in the world and
has a huge concern and interest in the Indian Ocean.
Then we have Japan, the world’s No.3 economy and very highly developed country dependent on
the Indian Ocean for their energy, oil and gas. Then there are European Union countries especially,
England and France, who are considering themselves to be residential powers of the Indian Ocean
by virtue of the fact they control some islands from the colonial past. Also, Australia which is
actually standing one side on the India Ocean and another side on the pacific. Then, not to forget
Russia who has a great concern about this region. Because the only gateway of Russian warships
and trade ships from one side of Russia to the other is across the Indian Ocean. Therefore, all
these major powers are interested in the Indian Ocean.
Considering the trade facts, nearly 72% of world energy, 50% of world containers and 35% of
world cargo are transported across the Indian Ocean. And therefore, the Indian Ocean is the centre
of attraction of the world’s maritime powers and world economy. And therefore, the world can’t
survive even for a week without the Indian Ocean. That is the importance of the Indian Ocean.
There are 3 Letters to describe this new competition in the Indian Ocean is RMB-
• Resources,
• Markets and
• Bases.
Iraq Iran
Pakistan
China
Egypt
Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia Oman
India Burma
Arabian Ocean
Bay of Bengal
Sudan Thailand
Andaman Is.
Lakshadweep
Somalia Nicobar Is.

Maldives Islands Sri Lanka
Kenya Laccadive Sea Malaysia

Singapore
Sumatra Borneo
Seychelles Islands
Tanzania Indonesia
Java
Tromelin Is. Mascarene Islands Christmas Is.
Cocos (Keeling) Is.
Madagascar
Juan de Nova Is. Mauritius
Reunion Is.
Bassas da India Is.

Europe Is.
South Africa
IIe Amsterdam Australia
IIe Saint-Paul
French Southern & Antartic Islands
IIes Crozet is.

IIes Kerguelen
Prince Edward Is.
Heart Is. & Mcdonald Is.
Antartica

We all know that the Indian
Ocean is a resourceful
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numbers of rivers and
tributaries are generated 4@(54(9
for thousands of years.
And also, the Persian Gulf 05+0(
countries, still having
nearly 70% of world
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strategic energy resource.
So, in terms of energy
and resources, the Indian
Ocean is very rich.
Then markets, obviously
we have India with 1.34
billion people, we have
Bangladesh with a very :903(52(
big population and there
we have China very far
from the Indian Ocean and
also has borders with two countries of the Indian Ocean, has 1.4 billion people. So, like African
markets and ASEAN markets, we have markets here too.
And considering Bases, in the 21st century, the bases do not necessarily mean military bases. It
can mean by control over strategic assets, like- harbours, airports, road networks. If the country
is having a strategic control over this thing in another country that would belong to bases. So, a
simple explanation of RMB is Resources, Markets and Bases.
We are in a strategic dilemma. The main reason for this strategic dilemma is the lack of quality
infrastructure. The world bank released a report in 2018 that says, from 2016 to 2020 this
region needs USD 460 billion for infrastructural development because nearly 50% of world
infrastructural requirements are in Asia. The investment does not come from Bank Owners, Self-
Financing, Loan Banking. It has to be from Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Joint Ventures.
But unfortunately, we don’t have a very conducive environment to attract FDI in the region. So,
this region is going through a strategic dilemma.
So, there are many strategic initiatives for the region. There are many connective initiatives. We
have Japan or USA based strategy. But where is our strategy. We should devise our own strategy
for this region, rather than depending on others’ strategies.
Now, we need to develop our infrastructure, we need to develop the ease of doing business in
the region. None of the rules and regulations is favourable to ensure ease of doing business in
the region.
Conclusion
This is necessary for the BIMSTEC region or Bay of Bengal Region to take our destiny into our
own hands and decide our own maritime security strategy to ensure maritime security, ensure the
Blue Economy prospects, to ensure maritime domain awareness and to ensure that we are ready
for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief rather than depending on outside powers.

PAPER - 1
Maritime Crime and Security:

Bay of Bengal Perspective
Professor Lailufar Yasmin
Department of International Relations
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract
The Bay of Bengal (BoB), the world’s largest bay, has often remained in the backwater of
international politics. Traditionally the region has witnessed its significance determined in terms
of the significance of the littoral states. Once again as the global attention grips the Indian
Ocean—the Bay of Bengal Region also emerges out of its long absence from the international
scene. Although the region was somewhat obscure to the policy-makers, traditional and non-
traditional challenges to the maritime security of the region did not disappear. The invocation of
Poseidon’s fury is thus deliberately done here to refer to the complex nature of maritime security
for maritime threats are not contingent upon the strategic significance of a region. Maritime
threats operate in spite of such strategic overlook where the nexus between maritime security and
crime becomes often more complex. It is in this context; this paper aims to explore such strategic
overlook and its reemergence in global politics. While doing so, it specifically examines both
traditional and non-traditional perspectives to outline how these two are intertwined. Crime and
security in the context of the Bay of Bengal cannot be separated from each other. Both statist
and global interconnectedness, in other words—national, regional and international regimes are
needed to counter these threats. In an age of rapid and irreversible globalisation, states are no
longer capable of addressing multinational threats and challenges, the paper asserts.
Oceans have connected humanity located in distinct territories. Yet politics is generally
determined from a land-centric perspective. It is the littoral states that determine how to harness
and signify their oceans in their grand strategies. The Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, the
largest bay in the world, are not exceptions to such generalisations. Despite the significance of
the Indian Ocean as one of the busiest water bodies to carry oil—the fuel of the Third Industrial
Revolution—its centrality has often been ignored. This waterbody came to international attention
since the Age of Exploration of European powers. While sea routes proved to be vital for this, it
is often contended that European powers, especially the British suffered from a ‘sea blindness’.
The Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal never fared its appropriate place in British strategic
policy. The Cold War era saw the domination of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans in global
politics. Time has changed. With the changes in international politics and the gradual shift of
power politics from the West to the East, the rise of the Asian Century and the rise of China, the
importance of Indian Ocean is reevaluated in a manner not seen before. As a region ‘neglected
no longer’ (Bouchard & Crumplin, 2010), Robert Kaplan drew global attention to the Indian
region first in a Foreign Policy article (Kaplan, 2009) and later expanded his ideas in a book
Monsoon: The Future of American Power in the Indian Ocean (Kaplan 2010) by pointing out
how India and China are concentrating on their sea power and that the region must be viewed
from a ‘maritime’ perspective. As America announces a formal shift in its strategic policy by
introducing a policy of rebalancing Asia in 2012, under which its focus turns from its traditional
concern to Europe and the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region (Rani, 2015, p. 40), the global
gaze is fixed to rapid changes taking place in the Indian Ocean region. Typically, the focus is not
only the rise of China but also the race for supremacy between India and China, termed as the
‘Clash of the Titans’ (Karl, 2012).
This context sets our gaze towards the Bay of Bengal. Specifically, for Bangladesh, a country
often termed as India-locked by its foreign policy analysts and experts, the granting of unhindered
access to the Bay has elevated its own strategic significance and policy choices ever seen
before. The rechristening of the Bay as Bangladesh’s Third Neighbour aptly encapsulates such a

perspective. With significance comes a nuanced understanding and investigation of the region—
that draws our attention to crimes and security of the Bay of Bengal. In fact, while the region was
somewhat obscure to the policymakers—the Bay was at the bay of Bangladesh’s policymaking
circles—traditional and non-traditional challenges to the maritime security of the region was not
absent. The invocation of Poseidon’s fury in the title is thus deliberately done here to refer to
the complex nature of maritime security. Maritime threats are not contingent upon the strategic
significance of a region. Maritime threats operate in spite of such strategic overlook where the
nexus between maritime security and crime becomes often more complex. In that context, this
paper aims to explore such strategic overlook and its reemergence in global politics. While doing
so, it specifically examines both traditional and non-traditional perspectives to outline how these
two are intertwined. Crime and security in the context of the Bay of Bengal cannot be separated
from each other. Both statist and global interconnectedness, in other words—national, regional
and international regimes are needed to counter these threats. In an age of rapid and irreversible
globalisation, states are no longer capable of addressing multinational threats and challenges,
the paper asserts. The paper is divided into six broad sections along with this introduction. The
second section draws on the strategic significance of the Bay of Bengal—along with the rising
global attention towards the Indian Ocean and the increasingly popular geographical entity—the
Indo-Pacific. In the third section, I identify the traditional security architecture and competition in
the Bay of Bengal region. The fourth section discusses the maritime crime in the Bay of Bengal
region. The fifth section highlights the need for cooperative mechanisms through which the
states of the Bay of Bengal region fight against criminal activities in the region. The last section
summarises the discussion and points out how the Bay of Bengal region needs an integrated and
cooperative framework for meeting the challenges of security and crimes in the region.
The Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific and the Bay of Bengal

Since the dawn of human history, seas have played major roles in expanding human civilisation
although traditional perspective to look at maritime history is originated from a land-centric point
of view. The Indian Ocean, once a much sought-after region during Europe’s ‘classic age of sail’
(Paine, 2013, p. 5), suffered such a fate when the British Empire settled its firm control on British
India. Navy or naval forces have generally been relegated as supplementary to land forces. The
‘great game’ of Asia, a phrase originally coined by a British Officer William Connolly in 1840 and
later popularised by Rudyard Kipling, was played between the British and the Russian focused
on the mastery of Asia (Brobst, 2006, p. xiii). The geopolitical centrality of Asia and the eventual
rise of India and China as Asian continental powers figured in the prediction of the British Raj.
But it neglected the role of the Indian Ocean region in consolidating the colonial mastery in South
Asia as well as in the security sphere. Taking a maritime lens, the network of the Indian Ocean
connecting the vast areas of the Arab world, East Africa, coastal India, the Malay world and
Australia delineates the cross-cultural linkages in the region (Tambe and Harald Fischer-Tiné,
2009, p. 1). This is why Bose calls it a vast ‘interregional arena’ with a blend of different cultures
which is a little short of a world system but much larger than the specificities of a region (Bose,
2009). The only physical aspect that creates a commonality among the vast number of states that
occupy the region is its distinct environmental characteristics: monsoon (McPherson, 1993, p. 8).
The strategic importance of the Indian Ocean, however, was first pointed out by KM Panikkar
who argued that the weakest link of security of the British Raj in India had been to neglect
the importance of the Indian Ocean region as an integral part of the ‘Indian security sphere’
(Panikkar, 1946, p. 87). He argued,

The Indian Ocean area together with Afghanistan, Sinkiang and Tibet as the outer northern ring
constitute the real security region of India. Geographically also this is one strategic unit, with
India as its great air and land centre and as the base and arsenal of its naval power (Ibid, p. 87).
Similarly, Panikkar pointed out that the need for India to counter a possible rise of China as a
contender of supremacy in Asia for which India should widen its strategic thinking to contain
China’s only access to the Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Malacca. He referred to how China’s
access to the Gulf of Malacca could be compromised if India would spread its security sphere to
the islands of Singapore (Panikkar, 1945, p. 21). Sir Olaf Caroe initiated ‘Viceroy Study Group’,
also known as Caroe’s ‘Brains Trust’ which identified the Malay archipelago within India’s outer
ring of buffers (Brobst, 2006, p. 7).
The onset of the Cold War and the centrality of terrestrial security involving Europe invariably
brought the Atlantic and the Pacific at the forefront of maritime security concern after the end of
World War II. It was not until the end of the Cold War and the buzzing of an Asian Century did the
world caught up with the rise of Asian powers, mainly India and China. Deng Xiaoping asserted
as early as 1988 that the buzzing of an Asian Century was too premature as ‘‘[N]o genuine Asia-
Pacific century or Asian century can come until China, India and other neighbouring countries
are developed’ (Xiaoping, as cited in Pan, 2013). Global scenario has changed since then. As
‘An Asia that Can Say No’ (Ishihara and Mohammad, 1996) has emerged, so have India and
China who adduced themselves as ‘rising powers’, alongside Brazil. These rising powers ‘have
established themselves as veto-players in the international system, but still not acquired agenda-
setting power’ (Narlikar, 2013, p. 562). Especially with the buzzing of a ‘Chinese Century’, the
rise of a ‘China that can say no’, and the spread of China’s reach worldwide to secure uninterrupted
energy supplies has shifted global attention towards Asia and more so towards the Indian Ocean.
The long-standing two ocean policy of the US consisting of the Atlantic and the Pacific has
been revamped to include the Indian Ocean replacing the Atlantic in 2009 (Ladwig III, 2012,
385). As part of the Obama administration’s Asia pivot policy declared in 2011 (Pant and Joshi,
2015), President Obama stated that the Asia pivot policy was ‘a deliberate and strategic decision’
and added ‘we are here to stay’ (‘China Not Impressed’, 2015). The US not only recognises the
21st century to be in the Asia-Pacific but also encourages its partners to make a similar choice
(Campbell and Andrews, 2013).
For China, historical memory of the Portuguese shutting down the Malacca Strait and thus closing
its access to the Indian Ocean has driven it to cultivate multifaceted options to keep the steady
supply of oil in the mainland, which is termed as ‘Malacca dilemma’, a term originally coined
by former Chinese President Hu Jintao (Lantiegne, 2008, 143). China has surpassed America in
April 2015 to become the world’s largest oil importer (Morgan, 2015). It has impacted not only on
the Middle Eastern markets but due to political instability in the region that has been a traditional
supplier for China, it has started exploring options in other regions such as Africa. Also, at the
aftermath of 9/11, China has concentrated on strengthening relationships with the littoral states
of the Four Seas region—Caspian, Black, Mediterranean and Arabian/Persian Gulf region (Lin,
2013) along with developing relationship with Egypt, which is a geopolitical pivot for controlling
access to the Indian Ocean (Lin, 2015, p. 67). Initially, it was motivated by China’s ‘one point
and one lane’ policy the crux of which embodies China’s traditional concern on the Taiwan issue
and the security of its sea lanes of communications (SLOCs) (Lanteigne, 2008, p. 467). With
Xi Jingpin’s ascend to power as China’s President, China has further strengthened its previous
outlook and declared a ‘one belt, one road’ policy, which is often described is far more potent than

the US Marshall Plan materialised after the World War II (Chen, 2014). Under the plan, China
will develop a maritime silk road (MSR) and land-based silk road (LSR) policies with extensive
infrastructural development. Initially, China developed a ‘string of pearls’ strategy under which
it is set to secure its presence in a chain of littoral countries starting from the coast of mainland
China to the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca along the Indian Ocean region, along with
the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf regions (Pehrson, 2006, p. 3). The strategy involves China
to create a formidable presence in the region by building ports in Salalah (Oman), Aden (Yemen),
Karachi (Pakistan), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Singapore. While China insists that its involvement
in these countries are for purely defensive purposes (‘The Bay of Bengal’, 2013), it has certainly
raised caution not only for India but also globally. While the buzzing of strings of pearl strategy
caused global concern, the coinage of maritime silk road somewhat helps to rebrand Chinese
policy of expanding its global reach (Tiezzi, 2014a). Under the Silk Road policy, China aims to
connect itself up to Venice (Italy) via the Central Asian countries by land. The maritime silk road
will begin from Quanzhou of Fujian Province and will gradually traverse through the Malacca
Strait to Kula Lumpur, Kolkata, Nairobi, the Horn of Africa to the Red Sea and will end in the
Mediterranean and connect with the land-based silk road at Venice (Tiezzi, 2014b). This also
brings the Indian Ocean and the Pacific into an indivisible whole and the Indo-Pacific becomes
the order the day.
The term Indo-Pacific was first coined by Karl Haushofer in the late 1920s (Pan, Ibid). The term
was not much in vogue until late 2000 with the world attention turning to the rise of China.
The Australian Defence White Paper 2013 is much accredited to officially use Indo-Pacific as a
distinct geographic region connecting the Indian and the Pacific Oceans and including the south-
east Asian region alongside Australia (Pan, Ibid) and thus, making it the world’s the important
geographic region at present. Similarly, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton first uses
the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ as a region alongside the Asia-Pacific—as ‘the region spans two oceans
— the Pacific and the Indian — that are increasingly linked by shipping and strategy’ (Clinton,
2011). While Clinton first used the phrase Indo-Pacific during her visit to Honolulu in October
2010, it was later picked up by US President Barack Obama during his visit to Australia in
November 2011 (Upadhyay, 2014). Pan discusses many pros and cons of using Indo-Pacific as a
distinct geographic region and suggests that at best the region can be described in a ‘discursive’
manner only, the term has certainly caught wider attention in both the academia and the level
of policymakers. As Kaplan points out that the Indian Ocean region is not merely a geographic
region, it is also ‘an idea’ (Kaplan, 2009, p. 17), Bose points out that the concept of Indo-Pacific
re-embraces traditional geopolitical thoughts of Alfred Thayer Mahan and Halford Mackinder
to see Asia as an integrated whole (Bose, 2009). In fact, Asia’s geopolitical wholeness was
sacrificed during the Cold War period as the US blocked Asia into different regions for strategic
purposes. The terms Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific are thus ‘strategic fragmentations’ of
Asia (Brewster, 2015), while Indo-Pacific binds the Asian proper in its original sense.
The Indo-Pacific is in focus not only due to China’s rapid rise but also due to China-India’s
looming rivalry in the region. While Indian strategists consider the Indian Ocean as their ‘private
lake’ (Townshend, 2010, p. 2), the increasing Chinese activities in the region have raised caution
at the Indian quarters. Although some have enthusiastically coined the term CHINDIA to refer
to an increasing level of connectedness between India and China (Muthiah, 2010), others are
not so enthusiastic and rather caution about impending Chinese dominance in the Indian Ocean
region (Pant, 2013). India is entirely depended on the Indian Ocean for its trade and commerce.

Although India does not have a ‘Malacca dilemma’ like China concerning sea passage, former
Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon identifies India’s ‘Hormuz dilemma’ as its proximate
security concern in the Indian Ocean (Winner, 2011, p. 105). However, in its outer perimeter of
concern, India also adopts an ‘extended neighbourhood policy under which it ‘stretches from the
Suez Canal to the South China Sea and includes within it West Asia, the Gulf, Central Asia, South
East Asia, East Asia, the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region’(Scott, 2009, p. 108). Thus,
India has refurbished the ‘Look East’ policy to Asia to ‘Doing East policy’ under Manmohan
Singh (Athwal, 2007, p. 74). India is also cultivating strong relations with Southeast Asian
countries with an aim to counterbalance China (Biswas, 2012, p. 137). On the other hand, the
hyperrealists who are still caught up with China’s snake-in-the-ground behaviour and India’s
loss to the 1962 war believe that India should formulate a sea denial strategy to contain China’s
access to the Indian Ocean (Zaman and Yasmin, 2014). Despite this, India and China both have
high stakes in keeping their economic engine running which limits the possibility of tension and
conflict between the two countries in a foreseeable future.
Along with the Indo-Pacific, it is the Bay of Bengal region which is gradually receiving
international attention with the US vision of an Indo-Pacific economic corridor, linking the
Pacific and the Indian Ocean via the Bay of Bengal is unveiled. The talk of the Indo-Pacific
corridor was mentioned by the current US Secretary of State John Kerry who pointed out during
the 2013 US-India Strategic Dialogue that an Indo-Pacific economic corridor would facilitate
trade and transit between South and Southeast Asian countries. Kerry declared that America
is ‘cooperating to realise the potential of the Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor, which can spur
development and investment as well as trade and transit between the dynamic economies of
South and Southeast Asia’ (Waller, 2015). Under this plan of Indo-Pacific economic corridor,
Myanmar and Bangladesh would play a pivotal role in linking Southeast Asia with South Asia
as well as lessening China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’. Thus, the Bay of Bengal, the largest bay in the
world is often termed as the ‘next theatre of strategic power play in Asia’ (Kabir and Ahmad,
2015). Bangladesh finds increasing attention in the changing global strategic scenario with a
strategic ‘great game’ coming to Bangladesh (Bhadrakumar, 2012) where great powers of the
world are flocking to Bangladesh, Bangladesh is at the lynchpin position in the Bay of Bengal
(Yasmin, 2015; Yasmin and Masud, 2016).
Maritime Security Architecture in the Bay of Bengal

The concept of security has traversed a long way in international relations. With the acceptance
of sovereignty as the guiding principle among nation-states since the Treaty of Westphalia in
1648, a relative peace exists in the international system. Here, the idea of states’ impenetrability
from external actors is considered as a reflection of being secured. In other words, threats to
security could emerge only from outside sources. Such an idea gained currency strongly after
the end of the Second World War and with the onset of the Cold War. The iron curtain divide
of the world predicated in maintaining structural peace with a cardinal principle of keeping the
geographic boundaries unaffected. Internal sources of insecurity, however, did not disappear.
With the realisation that states need to address non-traditional sources of insecurity since the
1960s, the idea of security started to widen its understanding. In the maritime domain too, the
idea of security gradually expanded to include non-traditional threats such as terrorism, piracy
and transnational organised crimes, among others. Therefore, when we discuss maritime security,
it is not only the question ‘what security is’ that we deal with but also ‘for whom’ is the other
question that we need to deal with.

In the Bay of Bengal region, threats are of multidimensional. When we look back and resort to
explaining security in its strictest sense, that is defying the territorial borders or annexation of
territories, insecurity of this form does not exist. Although the Twentieth Century is a witness
to two world wars, the latter half of the century saw a tremendous change in terms of war
being obsolete among sovereign states as a means of settling disputes. This, however, did not
mean that wars and conflicts disappeared rather the monopoly of violence shifted from being
a state’s domain to non-state actors (Kaldor, 1999). The changing nature of conflict thus meant
that security practitioners need to be prepared for a new type of challenges. However, while the
challenges to state sovereignty generally do not exist in the region, this does not indicate that
strategic competitions are absent. In fact, with the rising geopolitical significance of the region,
Brewster argues,
The eastern Indian Ocean has become contested waters. The competition for position between
China, India and the US is becoming ever more pronounced… together, the Bay of Bengal and
the South China Sea are the lynchpins that connect the Indo-Pacific (Brewster, 2019).
The players active in the region thus involve the US, Russia, China, Japan and of course the
regional power India. Since China has declared its Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) in 2013, there
is a looming apprehension that China is upsetting the current balance of power in its favour. The
BRI targets to integrate 61% population of the world which would comprise a combined GDP
of USD 29 trillion (Stone, 2019). Often seen as set ‘firmly’ in the global economic landscape,
BRI is seen to integrate Europe and Asia into one landmass—Eurasia. The voluminous nature
of BRI has led the West to re-engage with Asia that transformed from Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’
to inaugurating Free and Open Indo-Pacific. As stated in this article before, Indo-Pacific has
emerged as the strategic centre point in the current century. Green argues that FOIP, first proposed
by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is seen as Japan’s transition from a ‘chequebook
diplomacy’ to forming a ‘grand strategy’ that is shared by the US as well (Green). In fact, to put
it more bluntly, Japan’s view on FOIP clearly states, “The US in, China down, Australia/India/
ASEAN up” (Koga, 2019, p. 20). FOIP has also created a strategic quad with an Indian centrality
in the Indo-Pacific region. Thus, strategic competitions in the region put it as the heart of twenty-
first-century international politics.
Maritime Crimes in the Bay of Bengal Region

A number of criminal challenges beset the Bay of Bengal region. The United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines maritime crimes as “[C]onduct which is perpetrated wholly
or partly at sea and is prohibited under applicable national and international law” (UNODC,
2019, p. 3). The UNODC gradually adopted strategic frameworks to assist nations to fight against
maritime crimes. At the heart of such a strategic framework lies the growing international concerns
reflected in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2018 (2011) and 2039 (2012). Thus, a
number of challenges that have cross-border implications as well as run by a network of criminals
need to be addressed. These broadly cover areas relating to maritime terrorism, piracy, Illegal,
Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, Transnational Organised Crimes (TOC) of human,
money, drugs and plants, and cyber challenges. States need to coordinate their policies to battle
these networks as they run through a number of countries where criminals are more organised and
connected whereas the state bureaucracy is generally slow and takes time to respond.

Concluding Observations
In this article, I have outlined how maritime issues are on the agenda of international politics.
While the Indian Ocean and more particularly the Indo-Pacific is seen as the next strategic theatre
of competition, the Bay of Bengal also deserves such attention. The Bay of Bengal has a lot of
potentials. Most of these potentials are yet to be realised due to the lack of technological know-
how on part of the littoral states. But we must understand that in light of the strategic competitions,
this region is gradually turning into a global hotspot. While cooperative frameworks are needed to
battle against maritime crimes, strategic competitions among the nation-state may put a damper
on such efforts.

PAPER - 2
Emerging Trends in Maritime

Logistics and Port Connectivity
Ms Hassiba Benamara
Economic Affairs Officer
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Switzerland

Abstract
Ports connect modes of transport and usually, they are the leaders in the logistics chain. They
are playing a relevant role in global economic activity and are directly affected and conditioned
by its evolution and changes. This leading role of ports in the logistics chain plunges them into
the mechanisms of the market. Changes in the mechanisms of production and transport and in
logistics chains and their associated flows are of great importance to ports.
Drawing mainly from the main findings of the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2019,
released on 30 October 2019, the presentation will provide an overview of key developments
currently shaping global demand for shipping and port services as measured by seaborne trade
volumes, as well as recent trends in the world fleet and relevant maritime transport legal and
regulatory developments (e.g. 2020 IMO Sulphur cap). Particular focus will be put on liner
shipping connectivity at country level, pair of countries and port level while bearing in mind the
perspective of Asia and Bangladesh in particular. In addition to UNCTAD’s connectivity and port
waiting time indicators, an overview of relevant indicators measuring logistics performance will
also be highlighted for more context and against the backdrop of the growing need for metrics
required to measure progress towards the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
Introduction
Reflecting developments in the world economy and trade activity, international maritime trade
lost momentum in 2018. Volumes expanded at 2.7 %, down from 4.1 % in 2017. The slowdown
was broad-based and affected nearly all maritime cargo segments. A range of downside risks that
had intensified in 2018 contributed to the slowdown. Trade tensions and protectionism topped
the list followed by the decision by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
to leave the European Union (“Brexit”); and the continued economic transition in China which
affected the country’s import demand. Despite the setbacks, a milestone was reached in 2018,
with total volumes amounting to 11 billion tons.
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UNCTAD expects international maritime trade to expand at an average annual growth rate of
3.4% over the 2019–2024 period, driven by growth in containerised, dry bulk and gas cargoes.
However, uncertainty remains an overriding theme in the current maritime transport environment,
with risks tilted to the downside. A combination of cyclical and structural factors is weighing
on the global outlook. These span trade tensions, geopolitical risks, technological disruptions,
shifts in globalisation patterns, as well as environmental sustainability concerns and climate
change. Meanwhile, some positive developments in the offing may help offset current pressure
on maritime trade. These include the Belt and Road Initiative of China, new bilateral and regional
trade agreements, and potential opportunities stemming from the global energy transition, such
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Efficient and well-connected container ports enabled by frequent and regular shipping services
are key to minimising trade costs, including transport costs, linking supply chains and supporting
international trade. Thus, maritime transport connectivity is a critical factor that can determine
countries’ trade competitiveness, attract investment and promote business opportunities.
Recognising the importance of measuring container port performance, UNCTAD developed the
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) in 2004 to determine countries’ positions within global
liner shipping networks. UNCTAD calculates the LSCI at country level (at a point), between
country-pairs (bilateral connectivity) as well as at port levels.
Trade tension causing disruption to supply chains

Tariff escalation between China and the United States dominated the headlines in 2018 and early
2019. Nearly 2% of world maritime trade volume is estimated to be affected by tariff hikes applied
in September 2018 and May and June 2019. Exposure varies by cargo type and market segment.
Grain, containerised trade and steel products stand to be affected the most, reflecting the structure
of trade between China and the United States.
In addition to reducing trade flows, tariffs are generating winners and losers, given product and
supplier substitution and trade diversion effects. For example, soybean exports from Brazil to
China, which surged in 2018, displaced shipments from the United States and brought about
additional ton-mile shipping demand. Supply chain disruptions have also been observed and could
deepen if trade tensions and tariffs are prolonged. Some China-based manufacturing activity is
reported to have already moved to new locations in South-East Asian countries.

Figure 3: Maritime trade projected to grow in the 2019-2024 period, amid uncertainty
Oversupply of vessels despite the decline in fleet growth

Oversupply remained a prominent characteristic of most shipping segments. In early 2019, total
world fleet capacity stood at 1.97 billion dead-weight tons (dwt), equivalent to 2.61% growth –
the slowest growth of the decade. Gas carriers experienced the highest growth (7.25% during
the 12 months to January 2019), mainly due to a significant expansion in the liquefied natural
gas sector. This trend can be expected to continue in view of mounting environmental concerns
and pressure on the maritime sector to switch to cleaner fuels. The world container fleet also
continued to increase (5%). In comparison, the chemical-tanker and dry-bulk-carrier segments
registered stable growth while the oil tanker segment recorded slower growth.
UNCTAD
UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
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Figure 4: Oversupply of the ship carrying capacity despite a decline in fleet growth

In 2018, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea maintained their traditional leadership in global
shipbuilding, representing together 90% of all shipbuilding activity. China alone accounted for
40% of the activity, while Japan and the Republic of Korea boasted shares of 25% each. In
2018, most of the tonnage sold for demolition were oil tankers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
and Turkey. Traditionally, China, India and Turkey have headed the list, but their market shares
decreased in 2018. Recent regulatory developments and voluntary initiatives of the industry to
make ship recycling safer and more environment-friendly may explain these trends.
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Figure 5: Ship demolition trend
The growing environmental sustainability imperative

In recent years, environmental sustainability has become a major policy concern in global
maritime transport. Environmentally driven regulations are increasingly affecting shipping market
dynamics. In 2018, fuel economy and environmental sustainability were burning issues, and this
trend will continue in 2019 and beyond. The new IMO 2020 regulation, bringing the sulphur cap
in fuel oil for ships down from 3.5% to 0.5% will enter into force on 1 January 2020. The entry
into force of this regulation raises fresh challenges for the shipping industry. Potential issues may
include an increase in operating fuel costs and price volatility and a reduction in supply capacity
and vessel availability. Any additional costs may have an impact on the price to be paid by end-
users, as carriers will seek to pass on increased costs to shippers through various forms, including
new bunker surcharge formulas.
Greater interlinkages between oceans, climate change & sustainable development

Several international developments continued to contribute to the implementation of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–
2030. Together, these instruments provide the foundation for sustainable, low-carbon and
resilient development in a changing climate. Of note is the ongoing work at IMO towards setting
emissions-reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement; and the initiation of the fourth IMO
greenhouse gas study.

Digitalisation and automation transforming skills requirements in shipping
Digitalisation and automation are transforming the shipping sector and requiring new skills.
The latest technologies provide new opportunities to achieve greater sustainability in shipping
and ports, as well as enhanced performance and efficiency. Importantly, autonomous ships,
also known as maritime autonomous surface ships, may soon become a reality, holding out
the promise of enhanced safety and cost savings by removing the human element from certain
operations. However, before autonomous ships start to be fully used in commercial operations,
the technology needs to be proven, and appropriate institutional and regulatory safeguards and
frameworks should be developed.
With the spread of digitalisation and automation in the shipping industry, the requirements and
skills needed for individual jobs will change. An increase in shore-based jobs and reductions in
the number of crew onboard vessels might be expected. New and different skills and knowledge,
especially in relation to information technology, will be required from seafarers if they are to
assume the redefined roles onboard and ashore that will be necessary to ensure the safety of
vessels and efficiency of operations. In addition, women may enjoy increased opportunities to
pursue a maritime career.
Liner shipping connectivity

UNCTAD’s (LSCI) helps to measure the level of countries’ and ports’ integration into global
shipping and trading networks. According to the liner shipping connectivity index developed
by UNCTAD, 5 of the top 10 most connected economies are in Asia, 4 are in Europe and 1 is
in North America. Since 2006, the most connected country – China – has improved its index by
51%. The average index has gone up by 24%, and the lowest index of 2019 was below the lowest
index of 2006.
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A comparison of the most and least connected countries shows a growing connectivity divide. In
2006, the least connected countries, which included several small islands developing States, saw
very little improvement during the period – trade in shipped goods remains problematic in those
countries, with economic knock-on effects.

The Pacific Island economies are among those with the lowest container shipping connectivity.
Port Vila, Vanuatu, for example, receives about one container ship every three days. Only four
companies provide regular shipping services to the country. On Kiribati, only one operator offers
regular liner shipping services, with one ship arriving about every 10 days, connecting the island
to only four other ports. While most other regions in the world have experienced improved
connectivity, Pacific small island developing States have not undergone any fundamental
improvements. They are confronted with a vicious cycle with low trade volumes discouraging
shipping companies and ports from investing in better maritime transport connectivity. At the same
time, faced with low shipping connectivity, merchandise trade becomes costly and uncompetitive.
UNCTAD’s LSCI calculations reveal some interesting trends in liner shipping connectivity:
• Ports in smaller countries tend to provide transhipment services to larger neighbouring

countries. Often, smaller economies benefit from cabotage restrictions in larger neighbouring
countries, as these restrictions limit the options of connecting (feedering) services along the
coasts, e.g. of Brazil, India, Japan or the United States. Colombo (Sri Lanka) has a higher
LSCI than any Indian port, Montevideo (Uruguay) has significantly improved its connectivity,
while the LSCI of Santos (Brazil) has been stagnant. In the Caribbean, Balboa (Panama),
Caucedo (Dominican Republic) and Kingston (Jamaica) have long been leading hub ports.
• The expanded Panama Canal has led to shifts in service patterns. The LSCI of New York/
New Jersey and Savannah on the east coast of North America grew by more than 20% since
2016, while the leading ports on the west coast of North America have seen their LSCIs
stagnate. The all-water route from Shanghai to the east coast has gained competitiveness vis-
à-vis the competing land bridge and the Suez Canal route. Ports in Panama and Cartagena in
Colombia saw their respective LSCI scores increase significantly.
• New investments attract additional services. Investment growth (public and private, as well
as FDIs) in ports generate new services and activities. It’s worth noting that Piraeus (Greece),
operated by COSCO (China), has become the best-connected port in the Mediterranean in
2019. Other ports with Chinese investments that have seen their LSCIs go up to include
Colon (Panama), Khalifa (UAE) and Lomé (Togo). West African ports have attracted direct
services from China, leading to larger vessels being deployed on these routes.
• Asia: China’s ports feature at the top of the list. Shanghai is the best-connected port in the world
today; it has overtaken Hong Kong, China SAR, which ranked first in 2006. Ningbo doubled
its LSCI since 2006. Outside China, the highest LSCI scores were recorded in Singapore
and Busan (Republic of Korea). Connectivity in Kobe and Nagoya (Japan) declined over the
last decade, reflecting slower economic growth in Japan and the fact that its ports are less
competitive as transhipment centres.
• Pacific: The plight of Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Pacific Island countries exhibit
some of the lowest shipping connectivity levels worldwide. Port Vila (Vanuatu) receives
about one container ship every three days, and there are only four companies providing any
regular shipping services to the country. In Kiribati, only one operator is offering regular liner
shipping services, with one ship arriving about every 10 days. Many SIDS are confronted
with a vicious cycle whereby low trade volumes discourage investments in maritime transport
connectivity. At the same time, low connectivity also translates into more costly and less
competitive trade.

Liner shipping connectivity in Bangladesh
While geography is fixed, connectivity levels are more often than not policy-induced. In 2019,
Bangladesh ranked 90th in the list of 179 countries for which the UNCTAD’s LSCI was calculated.
The Chattogram port reached a score of 13, a low level as compared, for example, with Shanghai
the best-connected port worldwide.
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with key exporting market countries (the United States and European Union). Liner shipping
connectivity of Bangladesh could be further improved through a combination of measures
spanning, among others, trade policy, port and shipping policy, trade facilitation and technology.

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Conclusion
Maritime transport plays a dual role. It is an economic sector in its own right that generates
employment and revenue. It is also an input factor enabling the productivity of other economic
sectors such as trade, fisheries, tourism. In view of its strategic importance, sustainable
maritime transport is essential to the sustainable use of oceans and their conservation. Building
sustainability in maritime transport should emphasise the economic, social and environmental
sustainability pillars.

Maritime transport landscape is changing with a new normal in the sector seemingly taking hold.
The new landscape further characterised by (1) moderated growth in the global economy and trade,
contrasting with the pre-2009 trends, (2) supply chain restructuring in favour of more regionalised
trade flows, (3) continued rebalancing in the economy of China which entails implications of
the country’ import demand, (4) a larger role played technology and services in value chains
and logistics, (5) intensified and more frequent natural disasters and climate-related disruptions,
and (6) an accelerated environmental sustainability agenda with an increased awareness of the
impact of climate change. These developments entail both challenges and opportunities and call
for improved planning, adequate response measures, and flexible and forward-looking transport
policies that anticipate change.
Shipping connectivity does matter for the country’s trade and development. Improving the liner
shipping connectivity of countries and their ports can generate a virtuous cycle generating more
growth, trade and business opportunities. However, a portfolio of connectivity-enabling policies
and measures are a key pre-requisite.

PAPER - 3
Port and Shipping Management:

Global Perspective
Mr Biju Ninan Oommen
Senior Port and Maritime Transport Specialist,
The World Bank, Singapore

Abstract
Port and shipping management need to deal with a number of diverse activities that are under
increasing pressure to remain competitive. In that melee Southeast Asia is well represented
by the Port of Singapore which has been the number one or number two container port in the
world for more than a decade while eight other ports of Southeast Asia rank in the top 50 in
the world. The Asia-Pacific region is represented by eight of the top ten busiest container ports
in the world. In that context South Asia is relatively expensive and slow struggling to catch up
with other developed and developing regions. Some ports in India and Bangladesh took more
than three times longer to turn around a container ship than the world’s most competitive ports
– Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. South Asia trails both East Asia and middle-income
countries, in infrastructure, cost and time for exporting or importing a container while indirect
costs associated with delays, loss of markets and customer confidence have had a big effect
on customer choices. Under these circumstances it is essential that the high GDP performing
countries like Bangladesh is not trailing back in port and shipping management. The experiences
of successful countries worldwide in particularly Singapore and other North and South East
Asian countries can be replicated to improve the situation in Bangladesh.
Introduction
Ports have been hubs of cultural, financial and commercial exchange; they were the usual point
of entry for the goods required by each country or city, as the case might be, and for outward trade
in the surpluses it generated. Port governance is a complex issue that is inseparable from different
stages in history, cultures and geography, and from the different forms of political, economic and
administrative organisation prevailing in each, in different spatial and temporal combinations.
Ports plays a key role in serving as a node of a multimodal transport system and global maritime
logistics. Ports, like most other commercial activities, are constantly changing. Their design and
infrastructure change as the vehicles using them change and their functions develop and alter
as the trade passing through them varies in type and quantity. Cargo handling technology and
changes in labor requirements and culture have also seen radical developments. From about the
mid-1960s it could be argued that ports and shipping were entering a new phase of operation.
The “traditional” cargo ships continued in operation but were in decline and would continue to be
marginalised to the lesser ports of the world. General Cargo moved to container ships, and bulk
cargo to bulk carriers.
So far this century South Asia has enjoyed the second-highest economic growth in the world
(close to 7% average annual rate since 2000). In South Asia, Bangladesh has been successful
in many fronts, especially 6.1% average annual GDP growth in last 18 years (2000-2018) and
poverty rate fell by more than half to 24.3% (2000-2016). But the region South Asia is still a small
player in world trade, partly because shipping a container into or out of South Asia is relatively
expensive and slow. Overall South Asia had improved the performance of its container ports in
the decade after 2000, but still struggled to catch up with other developed and developing regions.
South Asia has reduced the gap with East Asia, but some ports in India and Bangladesh took more
than three times longer to turn around a container ship than the world’s most competitive ports
– Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. Increasing the competitiveness of South Asia’s exports
will require an improvement in the performance of its container ports, as over three quarters of
the region’s trade is transported through ports. Tariffs and terminal handling charges at most large
South Asian container ports are lower than those at ports such as Dubai, Salalah in Oman and
Singapore. But indirect costs associated with delays, loss of markets and customer confidence
have had a big effect on customer choices.
However, the world around us is changing fast and digital transformation leads to fundamental
changes in society. Global supply chain and fierce competition puts increasing emphasis on

logistics performance. Digital transformation can make port operations even more efficient,
reliable and predictable. By implementing new smart infrastructure, port can get new levels of
intelligence and autonomy.
Understanding Demographics
Asian and African countries were estimated to be far richer, compared to other countries, than
previously imagined. Data on prices and growth, suggest that the global middle class, numbering
about 3.2 billion in 2016, may be considerably larger, by about 500 million people, than previous
calculations suggested. Asian households, in particular, are now thought to be much richer,
relatively speaking, than before. At a global level, we are witnessing the most rapid expansion of
the middle class the world has ever seen. Notwithstanding gloomy forecasts for global growth,
middle-class expansion seems set to continue. In fact, the next decade could see a faster expansion
of the middle class than at any other time in history. Within a few years, based on current forecasts,
a majority of the world’s population could have middle-class or rich lifestyles for the first time
ever. The most dynamic segment of the global middle-class market is at the lower end of the
scale, among new entrants with comparatively low per capita spending.
While global numbers are driven by developments in the largest economies in the world,
notably China and India, the middle-class expansion is expected to be broadly based, but
heavily concentrated in Asia. The vast majority (88%) of the next billion people in the middle
class will be Asian.
Globally, the middle class is already spending USD 35 trillion (2011 PPP) annually, and could be
spending USD 29 trillion more by 2030, accounting for roughly a third of projected GDP growth
(in PPP terms).
The market for middle-class consumption could grow at an average rate of about 4% in the long-
term. While this provides some impetus to the global economy, it is not as large as the demand
growth generated by middle-class spending in North America and Europe during the 1960s and
1970s, which exceeded 5% per year.

Digitalisation of the Ecosystem
With technologies like RFID and GPS, digitalisation has long been entering supply chain
management in the maritime world, making supply chains more transparent, accessible, and agile.
For example, already today automated guided vehicles (AGVs) find their way independently
through the supply chain and can be localised in real-time and can be used on the Container
Terminal. At the same time, material and information flows are synchronised across the entire
supply chain – from the supplier to the retail salesmen. This increases the flexibility for all parties,
costs are reduced significantly, and the speed of the supply chain is increased.
According to Cisco’s 2018 Visual Networking Index report forecasts, 4.8 billion people, or 60%
of the world’s population, will be connected to the internet by 2022. That’s up from 3.4 billion
in 2017. Those 4.8 billion users will own approximately 3.6 connected devices per person (up
from 2.4 in 2017) to consume a whopping 85GB of combined internet traffic per user per month
in 2022, up from 29GB in 2017.
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By far the biggest factor behind this growth will be the explosion of machine-to-machine (M2M)
communications. These include smart home devices, connected cars, and Internet of Things (IoT)
devices across work settings, health trackers and wearables, and all the connected devices and
utilities populating smart cities. By 2022, M2M will account for 51% (14.6 billion) of total global
devices and connections.
All of these users and devices will drive a massive increase in global internet traffic. Cisco projects
that by 2022, global IP traffic will reach an annual run rate of 4.8 zettabytes per year. That’s nearly
11 times more than all IP traffic generated in 2012.
The world’s most competitive ports like Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore are heavily
dependent on technology and digitisation. Automation in container handling and others process
significantly lessen container handling time and efforts in these ports. South Asian ports like
Chattogram should give much emphasis in automation and digitisation in their port activities
which will definitely increase the overall performance of the port.
Global Container Trade Growth

A slowing world economy put the brakes on container growth in 2018, but global volume is
expected to reverse this trend over the next two years with a solid increase in throughput forecast
on the major trades.
Data from IHS Markit show that while 2018 global volume increased by 4% to 146.4 million TEU
(Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit), it was down from the 5.6% growth recorded the previous year.
But the declining growth is expected to turn around in 2019, with demand from the five largest
container exporting nations — China, the US, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand — growing at a
rate of about 4.8% a year through 2025 before slowing to 4.3% by 2030, according to the latest
IHS Markit Trends in the World Economy and Trade report.
According to the Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI) report, a slowdown in the world
economy, escalating trade frictions, and weak consumer markets in 2018 held global volume
growth to 4.7%, slightly down on the previous year.
At the other end of the Asia-Europe trade, China’s container throughput growth dipped in 2018,
with volume rising 5.2% compared with an 8.3% increase the previous year. SISI said the still-
solid growth was largely driven by domestic demand as a result of China’s strict environmental
policy that forced coal and other goods previously transported as dry bulk by truck to be shipped
to ports in containers. That contributed to robust growth of container shipping in the domestic
China trade, where volume grew 9.2% year over year.
Mega-ships and Alliances

The growth of mega-ships across many liner shipping routes has wide ranging implications for
competition for shippers, between shipping lines and total supply chain efficiency. Accordingly, it
is appropriate to assess the extent to which shippers and end consumers have benefitted from mega-
ships, including the associated growth in merger activity and shipping alliances as mega-ships
reduce the number of carriers that can operate efficiently on a route. In particular, shippers have
expressed concern that the fundamental industry movement towards increasingly large ships, a
movement that impacts shippers as well as industries that facilitate shipping (eg port and terminal
facilities, port and terminal handling), has typically been carried out without consultation. This is
an issue as mega-ships, and the associated commercial practices which they promote (such as the
growth of global alliances and mergers), may also harm users of the shipping industry, including
ultimately end consumers, by reducing supply chain efficiency.

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Doubling the maximum container ship size over the last decade has reduced total vessel costs
per transported container by roughly a third. These cost savings are, however, decreasing and
costs are not expected to continue falling at the same rate in the future, and further increases in
maximum container ship size would raise vessel transport costs.
Next Generation Port: Singapore Vision for 2030

Singapore is the world’s busiest and most strategically important maritime hubs. Located on the
southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, 30km south-west of the Port of Johor in Malaysia.
The Port of Singapore faces unique challenges that other ports may not have, such as land and sea
space constraints, and a limited pool of manpower. To remain competitive and stay relevant as a
maritime nation, Singapore needs to ride the inevitable trend towards smart shipping, in which
ship owners are turning to automation and the application of big data and predictive analytics to
lower operating costs and improve efficiencies.
Smarter, greener and automated, these will be the key features in the next generation port (NGP)
by 2030, as Singapore embraces automation, digitisation and artificial intelligence in its maritime
vision. The Business Times takes a look at how the future port may look like:
Intelligent port system

Built-in algorithm detects “anomalies” when two vessels are coming together at the wrong
place or the wrong time, alerting port operators to possibilities of illicit activities such as illegal
bunkering. A separate algorithm can detect vessels suddenly slowing down or changing directions
and alert port operators of possible hijacking or piracy.
Next-gen Vessel Traffic Management System

Smart ships communicate vital information to the port operators via onboard sensors. Smart
buoys, satellites and radars detect ships due to arrive. If arrival times are predicted to be later
or earlier than scheduled, predictive analytics will advise ships to slow down or accelerate. This
helps the port to better manage its anchorage space and plan ahead for loading or unloading.

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Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) & Automated Yard Storage System

Unmanned, emission-free transportation platforms used for shuttling containers between the
quayside and container yard. Instead of the conventional system where containers are stacked
one on top of the other, the Next Generation Port will have ‘shelves’ to slot the containers into,
thus optimising efficiency, as operators no longer have to remove the topmost containers to reach
the bottom-most ones.
Big data and predictive analytics

An unprecedented amount of data – from world meteorological and oceanographic data, traffic
data, material and machinery performance data, data on cargo flows across the world, maritime
accident data and even passenger and seafarers’ personal data – will be shared among the next-
gen shipowners, port operators and other players in the maritime eco-system.
A green and community oriented port

The use of clean energy will be heavily promoted – especially liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a
ship fuel – for day-to-day port operations. More community spaces will be built around the port
fringes for public access to allow the maritime sector to stay connected with the masses.
Autonomous truck platooning

Under the technology, a human-driven truck can be followed by one or more driverless trucks.
Addressing the key Challenges in South Asian Ports

If South Asia’s container ports were as efficient as the most efficient ports in the world, in 2010
South Asia’s container ports could have handled more than double the number of containers using
the same facilities. This is undoubtedly an inefficient use of past investments. Colombo Port in Sri
Lanka, the fast-expanding Mundra and Jawaharlal Nehru Port in India and Port Qasim in Pakistan
– improved the use of their facilities in the decade after 2000, while India’s Mumbai and Tuticorin
fell behind. Chattogram (Bangladesh) and Kolkata (India) had the longest vessel turnaround times

in the region. According to World Bank report, if every South Asian container port performed as
well as the region’s best, maritime transport costs for South Asian exports would decrease by up
to 8.8% and exports would increase by up to 7%. There has been improvement and modernisation
in the South Asian port like Chattogram, but the countries need to do more to meet the growth and
competitiveness challenge.
Followings are the interrelated policy actions to improve performance in the port sector in
South Asia:
● Encourage more private sector participation within a well-regulated and administered landlord
port model. In this arrangement, which has been increasingly adopted, the port authority acts as
a regulatory body and landlord while private companies operate the port, provide the services
and employ the workers.
● Improve the governance of port authorities, with a more transparent appointments process and
independent board members. Effective boards respect the interlinked nature of the public and
private contributions to ensuring timely and efficient movement of cargo through ports.
● Foster a competitive environment, both within and between ports. The world bank report
recommends stimulating competition at the initial concession stage – through open bidding – and
through port policy objectives that introduce new operators as the port expands. Governments
should also encourage competition between ports to attract business within the country, as has
happened in northwest India.
● Automation in container handling and others process significantly lessen container handling
time and efforts in South Asian ports. Port like Chattogram should give much emphasis in
automation and digitisation in their port activities which will definitely increase the overall
efficiency of the port.
Conclusion
Seaports have traditionally been the focus of maritime logistics chains. However, changes
in production patterns, supported by the development of rapid transport of goods over long
distances, have altered the logistics landscape. As a result, the relevance of port hinterland
transport has become more important, with a consequent need for the high utilisation of
transport resources and infrastructure through the consolidation of cargo flows and for seaports
to extend their influence within their hinterlands to increase their competitiveness. The
development worldwide of inland ports, terminals and dry ports in their various forms, together
with associated new functions and strategies, address these challenges in diverse ways to realise
the potential benefits that come from the successful implementation of inland ports that connect
seamlessly into transportation systems.
More efficient use of port facilities, together with improvements in the scale of operations, were
the main drivers of increases in productivity in South Asia. These increases helped South Asia
catch up with East Asia in terms of efficiency in the use of facilities. On average, South Asian
container ports experienced the largest improvement in productivity among ports in the Indian
and Western Pacific Oceans (80% versus 55% for East Asia) between 2000 and 2010.
One must also remember that ports have not developed simply as industrial and commercial
trading centers. They have also been the points where foreign cultures and ideas have impacted
on a nation. Singapore, Shanghai, Bombay, Rio and a hundred other great port cities owe much
of their flamboyant past to their maritime connections.

SESSION - 1
Comments of
Session Chair
Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed
Department of International Relations
Director, Centre for Genocide Studies
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed chaired the session, Regional Maritime Connectivity and Security
(Session-1). Distinguished speakers from home and abroad presented four papers (1 keynote + 3
thematic) in the session. The keynote speaker, Admiral (retd) Jayanath Colombage, very lucidly
spoke on the issues of common security, sustainable development and pollution of Bay of Bengal
(BOB). He stressed on the need to enhance capabilities and capacities and develop collaborative
efforts to address the issues so that marine environment be preserved properly whilst achieving
economic prosperity. Professor Lailufar Yasmin presented in her paper the complex nature of
maritime crime and security in BOB. She also mentioned that in the age of globalisation these
threats cannot be address alone by the littoral states, it must be addressed internationally. Ms
Hassiba Benamara in her paper candidly presented the role of maritime transport in economic
sectors, such as trade, fisheries and tourism. Mr Bijun Ninan in his paper described the global
diverse scenario of port and shipping management. He suggested that Bangladesh with high
GDP need not to trail back in port and shipping management rather it probably could follow the
model of Singapore and other North and South East Asian countries to improve its situation in
port and shipping management. At the end, the floor was opened for questions and answers and
the participants interacted lively with the distinguished speakers asking high level of questions.
Professor Imtiaz Ahmed expressed his gratitude and indebtedness to BSMRMU for inviting
him to chair such high level scientific and technical session. He also expressed his desire that
in near future students and faculties of BSMRMU would move Bangladesh economy from land
centric to water centric. The expert manpower graduated from BSMRMU will have blue mind
to develop Blue Economy of Bangladesh.

Session 2
Keynote Paper -3
Impact of Maritime Law and UNCLOS III on Ocean
Governance
Paper-1
The Importance of Maintaining Ocean Health and
Biodiversity and the Consequence for Maritime
Security
Paper-2
Building Global Competencies for Sustainable
Maritime Development and Better Governance
Paper-3
Ocean Governance: A Cornerstone for an Effective
Implementation for Blue Economy Policies

Session Theme
Ocean Health and Governance

“Healthy” ocean ecosystems are those exhibiting
“normal form and function” which ultimately should be
the outcome of healthy and balanced governance based
on well-thought policy decisions that needs to be based
on science. Ocean governance is the integrated conduct
of the policy and actions to protect ocean environment,
sustainable use of coastal and marine resources as well
as the conservation of its biodiversity. In recent days,
ocean resources of our sea areas and water bodies are
being overexploited, overfishing is prevalent, marine
biodiversity dropped by almost 40% in the last 40 years.
If these go on uncontrolled there exists risk of further
deterioration. But Bangladesh is yet to establish ocean
governance to enforce national maritime policy for
sustainable management of opportunities of the seas.
The vision of the session is to develop sustainable ocean
governance in the Bay of Bengal through ecological,
economic and social balance.

KEYNOTE PAPER - 3
Impact of Maritime Law

and UNCLOS III on
Ocean Governance
Professor Andrew Serdy
Director, Institute of Maritime Law
Southampton University, UK

Abstract
The increasing variety and intensity of human uses of the ocean have brought about an expansion
in the number of maritime zones to which States may be entitled from 2 (or possibly 3) in the
19th century to 8 now, with two additional regimes superimposed on parts of these. UNCLOS
III wrote into the Convention a series of vital compromises, both connected with the reaching of
agreement on 12 nautical miles as the maximum breadth of the territorial sea: the development of
the transit passage regime for straits used for international navigation (so 12 and not 3), and the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) giving States control of the living resources off their coasts plus
exclusive rights over minerals on and under the seabed (so 12 and not 200), Bangladesh is one of
the first States to claim a 200-mile EEZ. But a consequence of the introduction of the EEZ, and
also of the acceptance of the continental shelf as a zone that is at least coextensive with it and may
extend further, is that many States up to 400 or sometimes even more miles apart find themselves
as new neighbours, needing to negotiate a boundary. This is often politically trickier than it
needs to be because States tend to treat it as a zero-sum game. Viewed purely spatially, that is
true, but from the perspective of the economic development of the maritime spaces involved, it is
not: unresolved boundaries hamper economic activity. Bangladesh has made intelligent use of
the dispute settlement provisions of the Convention to gain fair maritime boundaries with both of
its neighbours resulting in an unbroken outer limit of its continental shelf, but the geographical
quirks of the northern Bay of Bengal, combined with a legal flaw in the process for establishing
the outer limit of the continental shelf where it lies more than 200 miles from the baseline, mean
that there is one more step that it can usefully take to cooperate with its neighbours.
Introduction
Since the 1970s, the IMO has also concerned itself with ship-source pollution, through the 1973-
78 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). IMO has
been successful in implementing such conventions in areas where member states’ interests are to a
greater or lesser degree aligned. Where that doesn’t apply, troubles emerge. The same problem is
seen also in other regulatory endeavours on environmental questions. For instance, the 2009 Hong
Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships has
not yet entered into force, and is not likely to do so in the foreseeable future as it needs participation
from States such as Bangladesh with significant shipbreaking industries for the conditions to be
satisfied, but gives them little incentive to become party. The 1982 Convention as a “Constitution
for the Oceans”, UNCLOS III settled many issues but not all of the issues that for much of the
20th century bedevilled the law of the sea. The increasing variety and intensity of human uses of
the ocean led to a proliferation in the number of maritime zones, the Convention concluded at
UNCLOS III recognising no fewer than eight (internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial sea,
contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone or EEZ, continental shelf, high seas and the deep seabed
beyond national jurisdiction). The consequence of introducing the EEZ, and also of the older
continental shelf now becoming at least coextensive with it has created a new issue: boundaries are
needed to delimit overlapping maritime zone entitlements between over new 300 pairs of States
quite some distance apart, so not accustomed to thinking of each other as neighbours. Sometimes
this can be done easily and quickly by a median line, every point of which is equidistant from the
nearest point of each State’s land territory, but this is not always suitable, especially when special
geographical circumstances exist, such as the concave coastlines of Bangladesh.
Maritime Law and Ocean Governance

Until relatively recently private shipping law did not have much influence on ocean gover-
nance. The relevant UN specialised agency, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has

a well-deserved but now threatened reputation as a capable regulator of technical questions con-
cerning safety at sea (including security); e.g.
– the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
– the 1974 Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea
– the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Mari-
time Navigation
– and since the 1970s also ship-source pollution through the 1973-78 International Con-
vention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
IMO has been less successful on matters where member States’ interests are not more or less
aligned. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change gave
IMO and its aviation counterpart ICAO the task of regulating greenhouse gas emissions from
ships and aircraft, as though it were just another technical task, and modest progress has been
made. But the impasse in the broader climate change negotiations has been imported between
developing countries advocating common but differentiated responsibility and States defending
the IMO’s traditional “no more favourable treatment” rule. This is seen also in other regulation
on environmental questions: treaties problematic from the point of view of developing countries,
such as the 1988 Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste, are
from outside the IMO – but the latest one is from inside.
The 2009 Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recy-
cling of Ships has not yet entered into force, and not likely to do as it needs participation from
States such as Bangladesh with significant shipbreaking industries to do so, but gives them little
incentive to become a party. The 2009 Convention assumes this is a matter suitable for interna-
tional regulation but has lost sight of where any ill effects of the industry are mostly felt: in the
shipbreaking countries themselves, who are best placed to balance the costs against benefits.
UNCLOS III settled many but not all of the issues that for much of the 20th century bedevilled the
law of the sea, causing chaos through claims to sovereignty or jurisdiction by coastal States over
ever vaster ocean areas, which other States whose interests would be affected by them resisted
as exorbitant. In the middle of the century, there was a long period of chaos caused by numerous
coastal States claiming sovereignty or some lesser type of jurisdiction over ever vaster ocean
areas, which other States whose interests would be affected by them resisted as exorbitant. There
was no agreement, for example, on the maximum breadth of the territorial sea: major maritime
powers mostly wanted it limited to 3 nautical miles (nm) to minimise constraints on navigation,
but many others favoured 12, a few mainly in Latin America claimed 200 miles for the econom-
ic benefits of the fisheries, and it was even suggested that there be no limit, each State taking
whatever it subjectively thought it needed. The increasing variety and intensity of human uses
of the ocean led to a proliferation in the number of maritime zones, the Convention concluded
at UNCLOS III recognising no fewer than eight (internal waters, archipelagic waters, territorial
sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone or EEZ, continental shelf, high seas and the deep
seabed beyond national jurisdiction). It solves the 20th-century law of the sea controversies via
a series of vital compromises on jurisdictional issues, i.e. answers to the question: who makes the
rules, where? Thus the maximum breadth of the territorial sea is now settled at 12 nm under Ar-
ticle 3 of the Convention, although this has not entirely put a stop to coastal State expansionism,
as there is still some scope for deviation from the rules of Article 7 on straight baselines, which is
tolerated to some extent where the effects for other States are fairly small. Baselines are important
because it is from them that all the positively defined zones – the first six listed above – are mea-
sured. Another achievement was a clarification of what constitutes innocent passage of foreign
ships in the territorial sea: Article 19(2) contains a supposedly exhaustive list of activities that

render passage non-innocent if a vessel engages in them, although its utility to that end is reduced
by the last item being left open-ended.
Major Innovations at UNCLOS III

Some of the major innovations at UNCLOS III, embodying compromises, are:
1. The transit passage regime in straits used for international navigation and the new con-
cept of archipelagic waters and archipelagic sea lanes passage led to the acceptance of 12
nm of the territorial sea over 3 by the maritime powers.
2. The EEZ extending a further 188 nm beyond the territorial sea, to 200 nm from the
baselines, in which the coastal State has sovereign rights over the living and non-living
resources, jurisdiction over artificial islands, protection of the marine environment (in-
cluding pollution) and marine scientific research, but freedom of navigation remains.
This is how States claiming 200 nm territorial seas were persuaded to accept 12 instead.
3. The internationalised deep seabed mining regime in Part XI of the Convention, which the
International Seabed Authority administers.
4. A system of compulsory procedures (with some exceptions) for the settlement of dis-
putes, leading to binding outcomes. The relative paucity of disputes, only around 50
knowns since the Convention entered into force, is a paradoxical sign of its success.
Some people compare it unfavourably with the more than 500 disputes in the World
Trade Organisation in the same period, but that large number is a sign that there is some-
thing wrong, either with the rules themselves or with States’ willingness or ability to
abide by them, if not both.
But as older questions are settled, new ones are created. A notable one is a consequence of
introducing the EEZ, and also of the older continental shelf now becoming at least coextensive
with it. This created a new issue: boundaries are needed to delimit overlapping maritime zone
entitlements between over new 300 pairs of States quite some distance apart, so not accustomed to
thinking of each other as neighbours. Sometimes this can be done easily and quickly by a median
line, every point of which is equidistant from the nearest point of each State’s land territory, but
this is not always suitable, especially when special geographical circumstances exist, such as the
concave coastlines of Bangladesh and Germany. This was one question not settled at UNCLOS
III: owing to irreconcilable divisions between two camps on the principles to guide delimitation,
one favouring equidistance as the default rule, and the other equity, Articles 74 and 83 of the
1982 Convention remained silent on this, leaving the question to be determined under customary
international law. Another new process set in the train was the establishment of the outer limit of
the continental shelf where it extends beyond 200 nm, through the Commission on the Limits of
the Continental Shelf (CLCS).
Bangladesh Context
Having an agreement on boundaries, whether by negotiation or as the binding outcome of
litigation and arbitration, is much better for both Bangladesh and its neighbours than persisting
with their competing claims. Negotiating a boundary is often politically tricky when treated as a
purely spatial zero-sum game, under which “Anything I get, is the loss to you”. This hampers the
economic development of the maritime spaces involved, by discouraging economic activity, from
fisheries to the willingness of potential investors to finance the recovery of hydrocarbon deposits.
Settling the boundary converts a disputed claim to the whole of the area in question, where the
existence of the dispute deters activity and investment and thus delivers little or no benefit, to (in
the standard case) undisputed rights for each claimant in roughly half of the formerly disputed

area, opening the way for each to reap the full economic benefits derivable from it. The sum is
no longer zero.
In 1974 Bangladesh became one of the first States to claim a 200-mile EEZ, a stance vindicated
by the course UNCLOS III subsequently took. On the other hand, Bangladesh’s 10-metre isobath
baseline dating from the same time, not consistent with the Convention, was not redrawn until
2015 but was not used or argued in the delimitation cases against Myanmar and India.
Bangladesh has made intelligent use of the dispute settlement provisions of the Convention to
gain fair maritime boundaries with both of its neighbours resulting in an unbroken outer limit of
its continental shelf. The delimitations were done in 2012 (with Myanmar, in the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) and 2014 (with India, by an arbitral tribunal formed under Annex
VII to the Convention). But some unfinished business remains despite the fact that boundary
lines have been drawn and meet each other, producing a continuous outer limit for Bangladesh.
Incidentally, this makes it possible to argue that in Bangladesh’s particular circumstances, there
is no longer any need to establish the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 nm via the
CLCS, monitoring compliance with the Article 76 formulae, because the two delimited boundaries
meet well short of the submitted Article 76 line which is never reached at any point, as can be seen
in the map taken from the 2014 award.
The Grey Areas

The more immediate concern is that the geographical quirks of the northern Bay of Bengal,
combined with a legal flaw in the process for establishing the outer limit of the continental shelf
where it lies more than 200 nm from the baseline, mean that there is one more step that Bangladesh
can usefully take to cooperate with its neighbours. It stems from the grey area problem, which
occurs whenever a delimited boundary more than 200 nm from the baselines departs from the
equidistance line, as Bangladesh achieved in its favour to offset the concavity at the northern end
of the Bay of Bengal. It means that there are areas where the EEZ of one or other of Bangladesh’s
neighbours is underlain by Bangladesh’s continental shelf, as depicted on this next map.
There is no difficulty in the blue area seaward of the orange and green, where the continental shelf of
Bangladesh is under the high seas, but in the green area, Myanmar’s EEZ overlaps the continental
shelf of Bangladesh, while in part of the orange area India’s EEZ overlaps the continental shelf
of Bangladesh. In other words, Bangladesh can gain access to its own continental shelf for
the purpose of exploring and exploiting its resources only through the water column under the
jurisdiction of its neighbours, so an agreement on how to do this will be necessary. It can be
noted that in the rest of the orange area, Bangladesh’s continental shelf underlies water column
that is within 200 nm of both Myanmar and India, so here Bangladesh will not know with which
neighbour it must deal until the neighbours themselves have delimited their EEZs.
Leaving aside for the moment the problem of the doubly grey area, there is a useful precedent
in one of the few other situations where water column and seabed jurisdiction lie with different
States after a delimitation. This is the 1997 Treaty between the Government of Australia and the
Government of the Republic of Indonesia establishing an Exclusive Economic Zone Boundary
and Certain Seabed Boundaries, not yet in force, but both sides are acting in accordance with it.
Conclusion
It is clear that cooperation is the name of the game, as it is in so much of the Law of the Sea.
Bangladesh can cooperate, or more precisely remove an obstacle to cooperation: withdrawing its
objections to its neighbours’ submissions to the CLCS. Bangladesh is acting hereunder paragraph
5 of Annex I to the CLCS Rules of Procedure, by which the CLCS will not examine a submission

relating to a disputed area without the concurrence of all parties to the dispute. One cannot blame
Bangladesh for taking advantage of that provision, as indeed several other countries have done,
not inquiring too closely into its compatibility with the 1982 Convention. Unfortunately, there is
no foundation for it in the non-prejudice clauses of Article 76(10) of the Convention and Annex
II, Article 9 to which it is subordinate – and these both mention delimitation but say nothing
at all about disputes, so the Rules of Procedure are to that extent at odds with it, a clumsy and
counterproductive over implementation of the relevant provisions that make cooperation more
elusive through a perverse incentive to withhold it. The International Law Association does not
go so far as to say there is an inconsistency, but it too concluded in 2006 that in principle States
should not object to each other’s submissions.
But that is what Bangladesh has done, to both its neighbours’ submissions, and this is holding
up Myanmar’s, which reached the front of the CLCS queue as far back as 2010. By contrast, on
Bangladesh’s own submission, itself now nearing the head of the queue, Myanmar and India have
both reserved their rights but did not actually object to it, so it is not a simple case of tit-for-tat.
In any event, thanks to the 2012 and 2014 delimitations, the disputes have now been resolved to
Bangladesh’s satisfaction,
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Figure 2: The “grey” areas (orange, green and orange again)

PAPER - 1
The Importance of Maintaining

Ocean Health and Biodiversity
and Consequence for
Maritime Security
Peter Cook
Director at PCA Maritime Ltd
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Abstract
The oceans are the most influential and powerful constituent of the planet. According to estimates
by the Global Ocean Commission, ocean resources contribute 5% of the world’s GDP, secure the
jobs of three billion people, and sustain the livelihoods of 350 million. They cover 72% of the
surface of the globe; they dictate our weather and climate, produce much of the oxygen we breath,
are a critical source of protein for at least 40% of the world’s population and absorb a significant
proportion of carbon. But the biodiversity of the eco-systems that inhabit these vast oceans are
fragile and vulnerable. The oceans also facilitate the global economy and “Maritime Security”
means different things to different people; which are all interrelated and often interdependent as
part of the maritime domain. Poor Ocean Health and Climate Change will significantly shape
the manifestation of maritime security globally and regionally.
Introduction
The current wave of globalisation has had a profound impact on every state of the world, be it
landlocked or coastal, resulting in greater access to resources, raw materials and markets.
Much of this has been facilitated by a modern and burgeoning sea-based trading system.
Today, nearly 80% of global trade is transported in ships’ hulls. States have invested significant
resources in maritime infrastructure, Containerised trade, energy supply chains, information
technology-driven cargo movements and processes accelerating financial transactions in
order to harness the benefits of globalisation. Further, most states have linked the hinterland with
the littoral through a complex network of roads and rail, resulting in rapid movement
of goods. Covering around 72% of the surface of the globe, the oceans dictate our climate and
much of our weather. Oceans produce over half the world’s oxygen and stores more than 50 times
more carbon that the atmosphere does. The commercial shipping fleet has grown by over 400%
in the last 25 years; >98% of all international internet transactions pass through submarine cables
crossing the ocean’s floors. An increasing amount of oil and gas is extracted offshore (>35% by
2035);40% of global population live within 100km of the sea, increasing populations will place
the greatest pressures on coastal communities; >20% of all daily protein for the global population
comes from the oceans. Significant mineral reserves discovered on the sea bed; many of the

chemicals in medicines come from the oceans including those that are used to fight cancers,
Arthritis, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
This article discusses the importance of healthy oceans to all of us; the threats to us if the oceans
fail to function properly and the consequences for maritime security.
Figure Human footprint on the world oceans.
The Importance of Healthy Oceans

Covering more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is at the origins of life
on Earth and makes the Earth habitable for people. It also provides us with a vital source of
nourishment,especially to people in the world’s poorest nations. Many depend on fish for their
primary source of protein; fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of about 540 million
people (8% of the world’s population) directly or indirectly. Marine and coastal resources and
industries also represent more than 5% of global GDP. The ocean provides benefits to economic
sectors such as fisheries, energy, tourism, and transport/shipping, as well as ‘non-market’ benefits
such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration, habitat and biodiversity, among many others.
The ocean also offers exciting opportunities for the development of new drugs to treat all sorts
of human ailments. Products based on marine organisms have already found their way onto the
market and are now being prescribed for patients that have asthma, tuberculosis and cancer. Other
industries, such as those that produce oil or paper, are also “bioprospecting” the deep sea with
promising results. While there is no consensus on the financial benefits derived from worldwide
sales of biotechnology-related products taken from all types of marine environments, these are
estimated to represent a multi-billion dollar market. The ocean also holds great promise for

developing new types of renewable energy, particularly marine renewable energies. Considering
that the ocean and seas cover 70% of the earth, this could potentially be a considerable source
of renewable energy. The ocean and its resources are also a part of our common heritage and
an important part of many cultures, whose beliefs and practices are closely associated with the
marine and coastal environment. The protection and valourisation of these natural and cultural
marine heritage sites can foster sustainable development, especially for developing countries and
Small Island Developing States (SIDS).Oceans produce over half the world’s oxygen and stores
more than 50 times more carbon that the atmosphere does; The commercial shipping fleet has
grown by over 400% in the last 25 years; More than 80% of all trade by bulk and >70% by value
moves by sea;More than 98% of all international internet transactions pass through submarine
cables crossing the ocean’s floors;
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The Health of Ocean at Risk
All of these social, economic, cultural and environmental benefits and opportunities may be lost
because the ocean is not being managed in a sustainable way. Scientific evidence shows that the
impact of human activities, including overfishing, illegal fishing, industrial and agricultural waste,
Green House Gas emissions (GMG), and coastal development are seriously affecting the health of
our ocean. 40% of our global oceans are ‘heavily affected’ by human activities.These changes are
impairing the ocean’s capacity to provide food, protect livelihoods, maintain clean water, recover
from 40% of our global oceans are ‘heavily affected’ by human activities. environmental stresses
like severe storms and absorb carbon from the atmosphere. These factors endanger the survival of
hundreds of millions of people and impede the efforts of the international community to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In addition, they may also result in increasing
levels of poverty and conflict in many parts of the world.
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The trend of biodiversity loss is accelerating on a global scale. Coastal habitats are under
pressure, with approximately 20% of the world’s coral reefs lost and another 20% degraded.
Mangroves have been reduced from 30% to 50% of their historical cover, impacting biodiversity,
habitat for inshore fisheries, and carbon sequestration potential. 29% of seagrass habitats are
estimated to have disappeared since the late eighteen hundreds. Over 80% of the world’s 232
marine ecoregions reported the presence of invasive species, which is the second most significant
cause of biodiversity loss on a global scale. Marine bio-invasion rates have also risen. Land-based
sources account for approximately 80% of marine pollution, globally. Excessive nutrients from
sewage outfalls and agricultural runoff have contributed to a rise in the number of dead zones
(hypoxic or anoxic areas), from 49 in the 1960s to over 400 in 2008, resulting in the collapse of
some eco-systems. Nowadays, more than 245,000 square kilometres are affected, equivalent to
the size of the United Kingdom. Risks of major oil spills have increased as technology permits
more deep sea drilling. In addition to land based and marine pollution, plastic materials and
other litter are also affecting the health of ouroceans. Light, resistant plastics float in the ocean,

releasing contaminants as they break down into toxic micro-particles that animals mistake for
food. Fish and birds choke on these particles, get sick and often die. They also become entangled
in larger debris.Coastal habitats are under pressure, with approximately 20% of the world’s coral
reefs lost and another 20% degraded.
Sea-level rise from climate change is projected to lead to coastal erosion and flooding, resulting
in the loss of habitat and livelihood for millions of people, particularly those living in Small
Island Developing States (SIDS). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), many millions more people are projected to be affected by floods every year due to
sea-level rise by the 2080s. GHG emissions are increasing the acidity of the ocean. The ocean
absorbs more than 26% of the carbon dioxide that is emitted into the atmosphere from human
activities. This results in increased acidity (lowered pH) of the ocean, leading to a reduction in the
availability of calcium for plankton and shellfish species, threatening their very survival. Since
many of these organisms serve as the base of much of the marine food chain, the potential impact
of acidification on entire ecosystems could be catastrophic. If we continue business as usual, the
ocean could become 150% more acidic by 2100
Sustainable Management of Ocean

To mitigate the continued degradation of the ocean and its marine treasures and to restore and
sustain its critical market and ecosystem services, a transition must be made towards blueing the
green economy. Blueing the green economy - that is developing sustainable economic activities
which generate jobs and assist in poverty alleviation while at the same time embracing integrated
environmental management and adapting to and mitigating climate change and other existing and
emerging issues – is one of the major challenges of our time, and the only viable path to achieving a
sustainable future. Key dimensions of a blue-green economy include the development of blue carbon
markets, protection and restoration of ocean ecosystems, greater use of renewable energy from the
ocean, recycling of major ocean pollutants, and changing our current fisheries and aquaculture
management regimes. Optimal economic and social benefits can be derived from a healthy ocean
whilst protecting the environment in the longterm by adopting the dimensions of a green economy
and changing institutional frameworks accordingly. Conversely, recent studies estimate that the cost
of inaction represents the difference between a ‘low emissions, low climate impacts’ future and a
‘high emissions, high climate impacts’ future. This cost could reach a total of USD 322.5 billion
in 2050 and USD 1.3 trillion in 2100. To transition to a blue-green economy, we must develop a
new relationship with our ocean where we endeavor to live with the ocean and from the ocean in
a sustainable way. To make this transition will require greater scientific research and cooperation
as well as observation and monitoring systems, including early warning systems, to gain a better
understanding of this complex system. Reliable scientific information and data must inform decision-
making processes so as to develop If we continue business as usual, the ocean could become 150%
more acidic by 2100sound policies for the sustainable management of our ocean.
Indigenous knowledge about the ocean and its resources must also contribute to this process.
Only education, complemented by greater public awareness through the media, can change our
unsustainable consumption and production patterns. It provides people at all levels of education,
but in particular youth, with the knowledge and skills needed to sustainably manage our ocean and
its resources. As the values, beliefs and knowledge that shape the relationship that people have
with the ocean are influenced by culture, this important aspect must also be taken into account in
all policies and decision-making processes relating to the sustainable management of our ocean.
Appropriate tools and mechanisms are also needed to protect and conserve marine and coastal
resources for future generations, whether natural, cultural or aesthetic. Each and every person from

all parts of the globe must be empowered to protect this rich common heritage, which is vital for
achieving the future we want. UNESCO is working to make the most of the transformative power
of education, the sciences, culture and the media to advocate for the sustainable management of
our ocean in the lead up to Rio-20 and beyond.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report 6 Oct, 2018 “Global Warming of
1.5°C”. Model-based projections of global sea level rises suggest an indicative range of 0.26-
0.77m by 2100. Increasing warming amplifies the exposure of small islands, low-lying coastal
areas and deltas to risks associated with sea level rise for many human and ecological systems.
This will impact all coastal communities, most harbours and the majority of cities.
Global warming of 1.5°C is projected to shift the ranges of many marine species to higher and
lower latitudes as well as increasing the amount of damage to ecosystems. It is also expected
to drive the loss of coastal resources and reduce the productivity of fisheries and aquaculture.
Coral reefs, for example, are projected to decline by a further 70-90% at 1.5° C. Climate-related
risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth are
projected to increase with global warming of 1.5°C.
UN Sustainable Goals
Both climate change and maritime security are currently ranking high on states’ and international
organisations’ political and governance agendas. In a recent study conducted among the world’s
leaders, Goal 14 was ranked last in significance among all the Sustainable Development Goals.
Using corpus linguistic methods, textual data show that, except for the indirect link between
climate change and maritime security via migration/displacement, the IMO narrative does not
encapsulate the interlinkages between climate change and maritime security.
Maritime Security
In 2008, the UN Secretary General report on “Oceans and law of the sea” stated:There is no
universally accepted definition of the term “maritime security”. Most definitions of maritime
security also usually include security from crimes at sea, such as piracy, armed robbery against
ships, and terrorist acts. However, intentional and unlawful damage to the marine environment,
including from illegal dumping and the discharge of pollutants from vessels, and depletion of
natural resources can also threaten the interests of States, particularly coastal States.
The Consequences for Maritime Security

Historically, states have deployed their militaries to protect overseas territories andtradeand
even built international coalitions to do so. In recent years, nations have established
multilateral arrangements to fight non-state armed groups at sea, some of whom havepolitical
motives. There is a realisation that the limitations for any individual state to respond unilaterally
to multiple threats across the globe make cooperation or global partnerships important. It is
generally agreed that such partnerships facilitate the rapid and most effective deployment of forces.
However, in order to succeed, the partners need to have sufficient political and strategic
interoperability to enable them to mandate naval forces to engage in joint maritime operations.
The international community develops international coalitions, partnerships or concerts and
strategies to fight piracy and terrorism, it is critical to invest political, diplomatic and
economic resources to build the capacity of states that are experiencing chaotic littorals and
require proactive governance tools. Political stability and a strong government in Somalia can
help international efforts to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Stronger, better governance will
help furnish the robust legal instruments that are necessary to prosecute non-state actors. Finally,

the globalised world has entered the twenty-first century in a position of uncertainty and due to
the rise of violent non-state actors that have posed several serious challenges and threats to the
maritime enterprise, using violence with noticeable effect and exploring new tools and tactics to
challenge maritime forces. Navies and other maritime security agencieswill be under pressure
to respond to operationally agile enemies who are constantly engaged in developing innovative
strategies, tools and tactics to expand their reach and lethality.
Conclusion
Rising sea levels will alter national maritime territorial areas; significant coastal areas and
coastlines will become uninhabitable resulting in friction between neighbouring States. Disruption
of coastal communities could easily result in increased piracy along SLOCs.
Rising sea levels will seriously disrupt port and harbour operations, whilst inundation will hamper
national logistic networks, disrupting supply chains.Warming seas combined with increasing
acidification of the water will alter fish migration routes likely to cause inter-state clashes for
decreasing “stock resource”. Deteriorating living conditions on land (increased temperatures,
drought, loss of crops due to seawater infestation and death of livestock) will result in increased
migration, a significant proportion by sea. Failing governments, weakening law enforcement
etc will be an incubator for civil discontentment and a breeding ground for terrorism, many
exploiting the freedom of manoeuvre of the sea. Ocean warming is linked to extreme weather
events, resulting in more extreme cyclones globally, causing natural and man-made disasters
(Fukushima nuclear power station).
Coral reefs, acting as protective barriers for coastlines and islands, are dying, exacerbating the
vulnerability of coastal and island communities. Disruption of the fragile ocean biosphere will
intensify the impact of Global Warming. Climate change will not be a linear global event; it will
be a number of concurrent events, some of which will be unpredicted, unprecedented; beyond
initial estimates and expectations. Climate change is not be a threat that can be deterred in the
conventional way. As any mariner knows, before commencing a voyage, you prepare the ship
for bad weather, to avoid being caught out. The foundation of good security is a balanced and
effective legislative structure which is explained in UNCLOS. This provides a general legal
framework within which states parties are required to act.

PAPER - 2
Building Global Competencies for

Sustainable Maritime Development
and Better Governance
Professor Angelica M. Baylon
Maritime Science and Community Studies
Director, Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines

Abstract
The article focuses on each individual responsibility or role to enhance or cultivate his/her
own personal global competencies so he/she may be developed globally needed for better
ocean governance in this modern technology era. There are two internationally recognise
professional associations that are highly recommended for maritime students and professionals.
These two global professional associations are the Nautical Institute (NI) and the Institute
of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMAREST). Both professional associations
will be introduced particularly the respective vast electronic learning tools available online
for free. Everyone is encouraged to check them out. It is believed that all students/trainees
and future maritime professionals of as ocean governors would be benefitting from the vast
‘OCEANS’ of opportunities that these NI and IMAREST provides. Certainly the first step in
cultivation of ones talents lies on the interest and desire of an individual to be on top. The article
also provides suggestion tips for an individual in cultivating oneself to be transformed into a
globally competitive individual with passion for scientific innovations. A scientific formulae of
competency and proficiency based on a simple algebraic equation with concluding remarks
for better ocean governance is advanced, believed to be provide a long lasting impact and
applicability to the audience.
Introduction
The controlling factors for Sustainable Maritime Development (SMD) and better governance is
a global challenge. The major issue through which maritime development may help making better
governance is building global competencies. Proper training/ manpower building for sustainable
uses of ocean resources will ultimately result to good governance. This paperfocuses on the
global challenges of SMD, the meaning of SMD, Stakeholders Responsibility, SMD Dimensions
and Technology as a Tool of SMD. This also includes Building Global Competency through
two Global Professional Association, NI and IMAREST and their e-learning tools. The article
concluded with the approach that, to Build Global Competency, knowledge, skill and proper
attitude is the basic requirement for SMD.
The Meaning of SMD

Development means improving human well-being in all 3 dimensions ― economic, social, and
environmental. Sustainable development should mean doing so by means and to end points,
consistent with maintaining the improvements indefinitely. Sustainable development refers to
attitude, belief, choices, strategies and actions of organisation and individuals in integrating
the concepts of sustainability principles in work and curricula that lead to optimum sustainable
development outcomes. Sustainability does not simply require an “add on” to existing structures
and curricula, rather, it implies a change of Attitude, belief in our culture, our thinking and practice.
NI and IMAREST Initiative

The NI and IMAREST took an initiative to buy 60 tablets (equipment) to be used by the students
to supplement the need for computers. The students who can bring laptops are allowed as well.The
bandwidth is sufficient based from the network utilisation report. The data Services is provided
by data company (Teledata , Videotel, Seagull etc.) to provide all resources / technology needed
by the students on-line. This may cost 100 USD per student, or 1,00,000 USD for a year all with
full support from management review board. The data company showed that 1000 students have
logged in. But we will be focusing on the utilisation level of the technology. Which implies, who
really downloaded and studied the materials provided by the company (more than 170 Computer-

based training (CBT) modules). However , the students just logged in and after that no more they
did not used it Formal usage means not just looking in and logging in but competing and finishing
the entire program.
Instructors have a role to enforce that before the students finish the course, making sure that the
students have completed the Tele data program. Seemingly, there is no such program coming prom
the instructors that enforces the full use of the E-learning resources. The faculty must include in
their lesson plan the access to the Tele data program. The university can also institutionalise the
program by identifying some requirements that the students must accomplished using technology
as a requirement for the promotion to the next semester or even in graduation. CBTs should
always be a part of the lesson plan. It is difficult for the management to technically monitor what
is happening inside the classroom, so we have to rely to the faculty to enforce and to implement
utilisation of these various e- learningmodules available including CBTS question. All these must
be included in the lesson plan. The lessons will be more interesting to the students if they are using
technologies in their studies rather than just sitting and listening to their instructors. Moreover,
all the available learning resources have been listed and articulated CBTs for simulations, on line
resources so that the academics may incorporate them in the Competence management System
(CMS) project and/or in the lesson plan
Buliding Global Competencies

1. Competent - Completing years of maritime education & sea experience, attending shore-based
training courses & acquiring Certificate of Competency (CoC) are accomplishments it itself.
But its just a start.
2. Proficiency = competency + experience - Understand that a lot of experience and further

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learning ( global NI and IMAREST websites /online learning ) will be needed, in order to
build on your global competency.
3. Planning makes perfect (SWOT first) - Create personal aspirations and learning goals using a
global competence matrix as guide. Prioritise learning critical to your tasks for the tour of duty.
4. Be Positive - Always be enthusiastic; hands-on learning onboard is extremely helpful, as is
reading manuals, operating procedures and CBTs found in NI and IMAREST websites. Get
actively involved in all drills/training to hone your proficiency.
5. Write it Down - Keeping a journal of your goals and learning activities helps you plan and
reflect on your professional development. It is also useful to review your progress regularly,
so you don’t forget what you’ve already learnt. The Nautical Institute’s and IMAREST CPD
scheme is an excellent way to do this.
6. Embrace all things new - The maritime industry is always evolving. By monitoring new
developments in technology and regulations from NI and IMAREST websites, you will
prepare yourself to use them effectively and become more aware of any existing deficiencies.
7. Mentoring matters - Observe colleagues & take inspiration from those who are positive role
models. Be open to learning & ask mentors/assessors to evaluate your performance & provide
feedback while you demonstrate your skills. As member of NI and IMAREST, you are assured
of global Mentors
8. Ready Resource - In addition to onboard learning materials and shore-based courses, there is a
wealth of information online, including manuals, trade journals, video tutorials, and of course,
books from respected publishers like the Nautical Institute and IMAREST.

9. Performance renew - Periodically
review your performance and reset
your learning objectives. It may be
useful to seek advice from others
like NI and IMAREST experts
about what future learning goals
might include.
10. Pass it on - Recognised that
every mariners/seafarers must
continually learn and gain
experience for safe seafaring.
Help them do that by sharing
your knowledge &available
free e-learning resources on
websites with those junior and
senior to you. Maintain realistic
expectations of other people’s
levels of competency. Inform them
about NI and IMAREST.
Maritime Development and Better Governance

The foundation for comprehensive maritime governance exists through 1994 agreement on the
Deep Seabed Provisions of UNCLOS and the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. An additional
UNCLOS implementing agreement for biodiversity conservation and use including marine
genetic resources, beyond national jurisdiction is currently under negotiation. UNCLOS provides
a framework for coastal states’ sovereign rights over the natural resources in 200 nautical mile
exclusive economic zones (EEZs) account for approximately one-third of total ocean space,
with the remaining ocean being ‘high seas’ beyond national jurisdiction. The high seas are
also a governed space, with UNCLOS specifying rights and obligations for states.A number of
international organisation address governance in specific sectors. The International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) focuses on regulation to ensurethe safety, security and environmental
performance of the shipping sector.
Its 2020 sulphur cap regulation, for example, is likely to have significant impacts on markets and
the environment The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) develops global norms pertaining
to fisheries. These are implemented by coastal states in the EEZs and by Regional Fisheries
Management Organisation, of which about 20 currently exist, in the high seas. For example, the
North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) manages fisheries in the high seas in the
North East Atlantic. Also, the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) was established to
manage the fisheries in the high seas in the North Pacific area. More ad-hoc coalitions, such as
the High-Level Panel on Sustainable Ocean Economy, are also a resource in advancing global
ocean governance issues. Promoting coherence and coordination between various agencies and
governance networks is essential in strengthening governance over all.
The private sector is also actively promoting new global and regional initiatives. These include
efforts under the UN Global Compact for the Oceans and its action platform for sustainable ocean
business, with an emphasis on compliance with national and international norms, consideration of
ocean health and expansion of the use of the ocean in a sustainable manner. Private foundations
are currently involved in work on marine protected areas in the Pacific and elsewhere. The annual

‘Our Ocean’ conference and other private sector initiatives are emerging as important global
meeting places forinformation exchange and governance innovation.
Governance Challenges and Opportunities

An overarching challenge to global ocean governance is that of transforming short-term economic
interests into longer-term actions that promote the responsible management of national as well as
trans boundary resources and the marine environment. This challenge is evident in many ocean
economy sectors, most acutely demonstrated by the insufficient progress in mitigating global
climate change. Thus, while some aspects of ocean governance can proceed even in the absence
of decisive global action on climate change mitigation, climate change remains a key driver
of negative change. Zooming in on ocean-specific governance challenges there are two main
issues of concern. The first relates to governance gaps, including missing or weak instruments to
address specific existing problems. One such area is that of plastics pollution, another is that of
marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. In both cases, there are processes
under way to negotiate instruments addressing these issues. With regards to plastics, the UN
General Assembly as well as the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) are addressing options for
governance responses, and the World Bank has initiated an effort to assist developing countries
to manage their plastic waste.
The key challenge is to stop plastics entering the ocean in the first place. There are also potential
governance gaps relating to new technologies and their emerging applications. New technologies,
as discussed above, present new opportunities for increasing information about and value-
creation from the world’s oceans. However, these technologies also present challenges. Firstly,
information is rarely innocent. Most of these technologies and data gathering mechanisms can
also serve to benefit commercial interests and the creation monopolies and serve national security
objectives. Both national security concerns and private sector actors are driving these ocean-
relevant technological developments (i.e. drone and unmanned underwater vessel technologies).
Secondly, as more information is gathered and processed, issues arise about ownership, access,
costs and distribution of information and data. New technology and innovation opportunities
raise fresh questions of access and equity between developed and developing countries in the high
seas in particular. What should be the norms and regulations addressing transparency, ownership,
and equity in data collection, processing and visualisation. A second source of governance gaps
exists in the absence of full accession to international agreements and improper or incomplete
implementation of them. The former is sometimes a problem, as in the case of China – the
biggest global fishing nation – not acceding to the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. Incomplete
or absent implementation can be the result of the prioritisation of short-term national or business
interests as well as capacity-related challenges for some states. For example, in combating IUU
fisheries and fisheries crime, there area number of initiatives that, if effectively implemented,
would address the challenge. The challenges of gaps and implementation are part of a broader
task for states and international governmental organisation with mandates in this respect. Also
NGOs, businesses, and the private sector have roles to play in ensuring that developments in
multilateral settings, from the World Trade organisation’s discussions on fisheries subsidies to
innovative governance work in creative coalitions like the High Level Panel for a Sustainable
Ocean Economy, contribute to maintain and develop a collective global order around oceans.
To-do so requires harnessing the resources and knowledge of many. For example, in 2018 the
1 trillion USD Norwegian Government Pension Fund, formulated and published a document
spelling out their expectations to companies regarding sustainable oceans. Progress can also flow
from the contributions of NGOs in the independent monitoring of activities. It is important that
this collective, multi-actor order is meaningful so that the growth in ocean interest that we are

witnessing translates into tangible changes. Ultimately, they should aim for good results for the
oceans and the communities and people that depend on them, and not just ‘blue washing’ that
creates the false appearance of adherence to norms and regulation.
Recommendations
Strengthen G20 national capacity and assist non-G20 countries in building the necessary capacity
to implement regulatory frameworks and find ways of using ocean resources to achieve the SDGs.
Such measures should include: a. building the science capacity to collect and analyse information,
provide scientific advice for management and monitor marine ecosystems, including the capacity
to monitor, prognosticate and adapt to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change b. establishing
the national legal frameworks that guide conservation and the use of oceans, including, where
appropriate, systems for rights-based/communities-based management of resources c. supporting
mechanisms for the enforcement of regulations, for example by coast guard operations at sea as
well as onshore activities d. harnessing the potential of the regional level for scientific cooperation,
management of fisheries, and the protection of the marine environment, including by sharing best
practices and lessons from successful regional cooperation, e.g. the International Council for
the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific Marine Science
Organisation (PICES).
Exercise leadership in global governance and institutions with the aim of pursuing multiple
SDGs, including by initiating novel and transparent mechanisms for meeting emerging ocean
governance issues, with rapid progress through creative coalitions, such as the High Level Panel
for a
Rcognise that multilateral cooperation and organisations and transparent, evidence-based
policymaking strengthen the capacity of realising national interest, such as in the efforts to reduce
and ultimately stop the flow of plastics into the world’s oceans, as also highlighted in the Science
20 (S20) Japan 2019 report by the National Academies of Sciences of the G20 countries.
Establish an expert group to examine the opportunities and challenges linked to the new
technologies for collecting, processing, analysing and accessing data related to oceans. This

would entail bringing together actors from the leading edge of innovation in the satellite and
drone/subsea technologies technology/data processing fields (in both private and public sectors),
ocean governance experts and technology governance scholars. The aim would be to map out the
potentially positive and negative consequences of these rapid technological developments and to
discuss governance solutions. This expert group could possibly be linked to the High Level Panel
for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.
Work with and support the UN Global Compact for the Oceans indentifying commercial and
economic opportunities and in ensuring that investors and companies integrate ocean sustainability
into their strategies, policies and commitments by: a) Assessing and being transparent about
their dependence and impact on ocean sustainability, b) integrating ocean risks into their risk-
management, c) sharing, where practicable, relevant scientific data to support ocean research d)
promoting a normative set of principles and expectations for sustainable ocean activities.
Empower citizens to support ocean health by making it possible to identify products that are
consistent with principles of sustainable ocean governance.
Conclusion
Sustainable ocean governance therefore requires immediate and drastic action to reduce and
ultimately eliminate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change and
ocean acidification. In addition, the role of the oceans in sequestering carbon should be recognised
and supported, in particular through the protection, rehabilitation and regeneration of natural
carbon storage banks (blue carbon) such as mangroves, sea grass and seaweed.
Take responsibility for the implementation of multi-level existing regulatory frameworks in their
own ocean jurisdictions and seek ongoing improvements for effective and rigorous implementation
and compliance for vessels under their flag.
We conclude with the idea that in building ones Global Competencies one’s ATTITUDE counts.
Attitude to Ocean Health and Ocean Governance, Attitude to Technology, Attitude to Learning,
Attitude to Changes for Improvement and be not second best to be of better service in maritime
While Knowledge and Skills are required, one’s ATTITUDE will get you on TOP.

PAPER - 3
Ocean Governance:
A Cornerstone for an
Effective Implementation
for Blue Economy Policies
Dr Pierre Failler
Professor, Department of Economics, Portsmouth University, UK

Abstract
The Blue Economy (BE) conceptualises oceans and seas as “Development Spaces”, where
spatial planning integrates conservation, sustainable use of living resources, oil and mineral
wealth extraction, bio-prospecting, sustainable energy production and marine transport. It is
envisaged that the integration of Ocean Economy development will be aligned with the principles
of social inclusion, environmental sustainability and innovative and dynamic business models.
At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) held in Rio de Janeiro
in 2012, the BE was viewed as the ocean economy, which aim to “improve human well-being and
social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities”. Blue
Growth (BG) is the long-term strategy to support sustainable growth in marine and maritime
sectors as a whole.
Blue Governance is an emerging concept built from the BE and BG ones and the governance
principle. Governance refers to structures and processes that are designed to ensure accountability,
transparency, responsiveness, rule of law, stability, equity and inclusiveness, empowerment, and
broad-based participation. Therefore, Blue Governance (BGov) relates to the public and private
institutional mechanisms (institutional coordination, private-public partnerships, institutional
arrangements, etc.) required to implement BE&BG initiatives, strategies and policies. BGov is
currently under implementation in Bangladesh under the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and other Ministries.
Introduction
The concept of the Blue Economy or Blue Growth has emerged over the last decade as an
increasingly important new direction for the global economy. The Blue Economy refers to an
ocean based economic model which employs sustainable technologies and infrastructure to
secure growth whilst also protecting our oceans. The Blue Economy is promoted as a model to
improve the environmental performance of existing ‘traditional’ offshore activities such as oil and
gas development, ports, shipping, fisheries, marine tourism and other marine industries as well as
a tool through which to encourage emerging industries of aquaculture, carbon sequestration (or
blue carbon) and renewable energy production, such as wind, wave and tidal energy. However,
the extent to which environmental considerations and economic growth are integrated in decision
making and how trade-offs between these are made is not clear.
Blue Economy (BE)

The four pillers of BE development are i) fixing existing problems ii) enhancing performances of
current value chains, iii) innovating and developing new areas and iv) determining potential and
constraints, having in mind that BE has to be inclusive and equitable. We propose to expand our BE
strategy to Blue Growth, Ocean economy, Ocean Governance, Blue Governance, Blue Carbon, Blue
Guardians, Blue Finance, Blue Bonds and Blue Belt which may lead to success in blue development.
The Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals are also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all
United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the
planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
The 17 SDGs are integrated and they that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that
development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. The outline in next
page explains the merits and demerits of proper or improper development of BE.
Through the pledge to Leave No One Behind, countries have committed to fast-track progress for
those furthest behind first. That is why the SDGs are designed to bring the world to several life-

Potential POSITIVES of proper SDG Potential NEGATIVES of improper
development of the Blue Economy Goals development of the Blue Economy
Improved livelihoods and employment Space conflicts
Investment in enterprises Marginalisation
Enhanced sustainable food production Increased food waste
Improved food distribution Harmful commoditisation of food
Improved water quality Pollution
Increased funding to health services
Improved occupational safety of seafarers Weak revenue capture at national level
Enhanced knowledge infrastructure Outsourcing of skilled labor
Increased funding for the education sector Unwillingness to invest in local traning and education
Skill development Brain drain
Increased equal rights to economic resources Increased gender disparity in wages
increased participation in decision making Proliferation of income gap
Increased funding for access to clean water and Water pollution
sanitation
Investments in nature-based water provision services Destruction of nature-based water provision services
Enhanced access to renewable energy Continued incentivisation of carbon-based energy
Improved knowledge base to build and Population displacement
mintain infrastructure Environmental impacts
Job creation Wealth concentration
Economic diversification Over-reliance on quantitative growth
Increased and improved infrastructure Environmental impacts

Technological progress High dependency on technology
Enhanced benefit distribution Business as usual

Enhanced participatory engagement of all stakeholders Concentration of influence
Improved cycling, harvesting, and use of water Increased pressure on freshwater resources
Cities have access to clean renewable energy Pollution
Removal of inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies Unsustainable production practices

Promotion of more equitable trade of goods and services Increased waste flows
Transition to low-carbon economies Increased carbon intensity

Resilience to uncertain climate future Coastal degradation leading to climate vulnerability
Enhanced health of aquatic and marine ecosystems Overexploitation of aquatic and marine resources
Increased stock abundance supporting
sustainable fisheries Environmental degradation
Increased water security Nutrient pollution

Enhanced sustainable transboundary water sharing Biodiversity loss
Improved governance Resource conflicts

Promotion of continental peace and security Failure to implement and enforce laws and regulations
Dutch disease and resource curse
Improved partnerships between public, private, and Insufficient partnerships
civil society actors
Strengthened continntal cooperation Bureaucratic complexity

changing ‘zeros’, including zero poverty, hunger, AIDS and discrimination against women and
girls. Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, knowhow, technology
and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context.
Blue Economy for Bangladesh

There are many sectors of the Blue Economy and many of them are yet to be explored. Bangladesh
has limited exposure in the fields of maritime trade, shipping and transport, ship building and ship
recycling activities. Many of the related fields of the Blue Economy are still not activated. Sectors
like renewable energy, oil, gas and mineral exploration have great potential in Bangladesh as well
as for the Bay of Bengal region. The fishing, aquaculture and marine biotechnology may have
substantial prospects but
for this adequate research
Carbon
Noo-
Traditional
is necessary in the related
Sequestration Spectes
Culture
areas.
Marine
Fisheries & The Blue Economy
Aquaculture
concept was perhaps
Marine Bio-
Technology
Oil, Gas &
Minerals unknown in Bangladesh.
Marine
Blue But after the settlement of
Renewable
Energy
Economy
Sea Salt sea limit border question
Secstors Production
Marine Marine
with Myanmar and India
Spatial
Planning
Trade,
Shipping &
discussion started on the
Maritime
Transport blue economy. The general
Education &
Research verdict helped Bangladesh
Maritime
setting up sovereign rights
Surveillance
Marine
Tourism over the living and non-
living assets of the Bay of
Bengal inside 200 nm.
Blue Governance
Awareness of the importance of Ocean and Water, Coordination, Planning, Acconting all levels
from local to international: regional integration for instance is the backbone of blue government.
Evidences about potentials and key economic driving factors are capacity building, education and
research. Also maritime sovereignty and availability of information in digital economy possess
a vital role. At present no value of coordination efforts and synergies are seen in government.
A standard development approach will lead to more economic benefits hence an efficient Blue
Economy model is proposed below.
Conclusion
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has not yet planned and designed in coordination with various
stakeholders in Bangladesh while MSP should be integrated and multi-objective, strategic and future
oriented, continuous and adaptive to use all marine resources for sustainable blue development.
Coherence, transparency, secure investments and reduce negative externalities will lead to
successful employment of MSP. Coordination between administrative and research institutions,
between administration and private sectors, between inter-ministerial is very much vital to bring
forward all the relevant developmental issues related to the MSP. Consideration for ecosystem
services and climate change effects, ecosystem services are not taken into account for coastal and
marine environment. Ocean based economic development policies needed to be inclusive in MSP.
Blue carbon for national determined contribution needs to be related with climate change which
is not enough integrated in BE strategies. Specific national BE accounting can be done by satellite
accounting system to record progress and performance specific blue carbon accounting.

Comments of
Session Chair
Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain, (retd)
NBP, OSP, BCGMS, ndc, psc
90
Four papers (1 keynote +3 thematic) were presented in session-2 by distinguished speakers from
abroad. The session, Ocean Health and Governance, was chaired by Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar
Hossain (retd). Rear Admiral thanked all learned speakers for their excellent deliberations on
ocean health and governance which made the session a very interactive and interesting one. At the
end of the session the chair opened the floor for discussions and many participants took the floor
for discussions for which the session became a very lively one. The following few key points
from the session presentations were highlighted by the session chair:
1. the 5 key features to formulate a good ocean governance are a) the legal architecture, b) the
conservation of the resources for exploitation, c) controlling marine pollution, d) innovative
strategy to tackle the climate change and e) coming up with the capable human resources.
2. marine boundary delimitation enhances the exploitation of marine resources.
3. the climate change issue has huge impact on the ocean economy which need to be innovative.
4. UNCLOS –III, which is the constitution of the ocean, be given the jurisdiction to the coastal
resources and marine trades.
5. to maintain the Blue Economy, it is necessary to develop human resources in this field who
can handle the maritime trade and ensure the ocean governance.
Rear Admiral Hossain concluded the session thanking BSMRMU to invite him to be the chair of
such a valuable and informative session. He also urged BSMRMU and other institutes to come up
with initiatives to build up capable and confidence human resources to tackle the issues of proper
ocean governance.

Session 3
Keynote Paper -4
Energy Scenario in the Bay of Bengal - Prospects and
Challenges
Paper-1
Digitised, Interconnected and Energy-efficient
Smart Port
Paper-2
Ocean Energy: The New Frontier in Asia
.
Paper-3
Prospects of Marine Natural Resources in Developing
Health Care Products

Session Theme
Maritime Technology and Harnessing
Ocean Resources
The earlier concept of a sea-based economy heavily focused

only on harnessing marine resources through traditional means.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the extraction of resources was
mainly done to support the fast economic growth of many
of the advancing countries. In the recent decades it has been
identified that the oceans and water bodies have much more to
offer. However, the need-based traditional extraction approach,
as it is in vogue now, instead of a scientific and balanced one,
is causing rapid depletion of resources and polluting the oceans
tremendously as well as putting the delicate balance of the
marine ecosystem at risk. Moreover these are not adding much
value to the marine products while 21st century is celebrated
by the burgeoning applications of technology in every field of
human activity. Modern technologies are being introduced by
scientists and researchers throughout the world that would keep
exploiting the oceans and maintain ocean health at the same
time. In this backdrop, Blue Economy is ushering in a new
paradigm of the ocean and sea-based sustainable development
without jeopardising the ocean health. Therefore, special focus
should be given to make good use of maritime technology in
order to harness the resources of the ocean with an intention to
promote a sustainable balance between economic growth and
ocean health.

KEYNOTE PAPER - 4
Energy Scenario
in the Bay of Bengal:
Prospects and Challenges
Professor Dr Badrul Imam
Department of Geology
94
Abstract
Bangladesh shares the Bay of Bengal with Myanmar and India and occupies an area of about
18,000 sq km in the middle. The adjacent Indian and Myanmar offshore host prolific petroleum
basins. Bangladesh offshore is yet to prove its worth, but a reasonable assumption is drawn
positively because analogous geologic settings prevail between these offshore basins. Bangladesh
trails behind both Myanmar and India in offshore hydrocarbon exploration and little is known
about the gas and oil occurrence in the Bay within the Bangladesh part.
Bangladesh has so far explored the conventional structural prospects both onshore and offshore
and this has brought major successes onshore. The second phase of exploration i.e. targeting more
subtle and difficult stratigraphic prospects are yet to be taken up seriously in Bangladesh. This
is the new frontier in the Bangladesh offshore basin. Geologists theorise that the stratigraphic
prospects in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh offshore are the hotspots for natural gas
especially near the maritime boundary of Rakhine offshore in Myanmar. This is the area where
next large gas discoveries in Bangladesh are likely to take place.
Introduction
For any nation to maintain growth, the wellbeing of citizens, eradication of poverty and uniform
development of the societies, it is the availability, access, and security of energy are among all
those matters most. Increasing global population and booming industrialisation are causing the
dependency of fossil fuel to rise exponentially. As a potential source of energy, oceans have great
potential as energy sources. Besides Wave Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC),
and tidal energy. It is believed that there are reservoirs of gas in the Bay of Bengal in abundance.
These sources are mostly untapped and ignored. Despite having 710 kilometres long coastline
and access to the Bay of Bengal (BoB), the potential ocean energy resources were unnoticed by
the policymakers until recently.
The Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal, a northern extended arm of the Indian Ocean, is located between latitudes
5°N and 22°N and longitudes 80°E and 100°E. It is bounded in the west by the east coasts of Sri
Lanka and India, on the north by the deltaic region of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river
system, and on the east by the Myanmar peninsula extended up to the Andaman-Nicobar ridges.
The Bay occupies an area of about 2.2 million sq km and the average depth is 2,600 m with a
maximum depth of 5,258 m. Bangladesh is situated at the head of the Bay of Bengal. It has a
broad continental shelf in Bangladesh and narrow continental shelf in India and Myanmar.
It is geologically unique. It is the largest delta. It has the largest deep-sea fan and the thickest
sedimentary section. The combination of Ganges-Brahmaputra-delta and Bengal deep-sea fan has
created the largest depositional system (Bengal geosyncline) in the world.
Dispute Settlement in the Bay

Bangladesh has huge prospects in its offshore areas located between India’s producing Bengal
basin and Myanmar’s Rakhine basin after settling the maritime boundary dispute with the eastern
and western neighbours. The two separate arbitrations under the United Nations Convention
on Law of Sea have demarcated the country’s maritime border, resolving ownership issues
concerning the offshore territories.
The verdict from the two arbitrations established Bangladesh’s sovereign rights, full or partial,
over 16 blocks in the Bay of Bengal on which India and Myanmar claimed. The Hague-based

Permanent Court of Attribution (PCA) awarded Bangladesh an area of 19,467 sq km (7516 sq
miles), four-fifths of the total 25,602 sq km (9,885 sq miles) disputed maritime boundary in the
Bay of Bengal with India, on July 7, 2014. Bangladesh got full rights to the entire area of four
deepwater blocks (DS-10, DS-15, DS-20 and DS-25), 90% of four deepwater blocks (DS-09, DS-
14, DS-19 and DS-24) and two shallow-water blocks (SS-01 and SS-05).
The verdict on the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar by International Tribunal for the
Law of the Sea (ITLOS) earlier provided Bangladesh with the rights to a large part of six disputed
blocks. The verdict awarded 70,000 sq km (27,027 sq miles) of the disputed 80,000 sq km (30,888
sq miles) area in the Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh.
The two rulings established Bangladesh’s sovereign rights to more than 118,813 sq km (45,874
sq miles) in the Bay of Bengal comprising 12 nautical miles (22 km) of territorial sea and an
exclusive economic zone extending out to 200 nautical miles (370 km) into the high seas. It also
granted sovereign rights to the seabed of the continental shelf extending as far as 354 nautical
miles (656 km) in the high seas, taking Chattogram coast as the baseline.
The verdicts stated that the south Asian state has “undeniable right to exploit living and nonliving
resources over the area and it is free to take any activity to use the resources in any form to the
benefit of the nation.”
Energy Scenario in the Bay of Bengal: Prospects and Challenges

The Bay of Bengal has emerged as an important region for India because of the recent discoveries
of natural gas within the region. India has already discovered large, highly enriched accumulations
of natural gas hydrates in the Bay of Bengal in collaboration with the US Geological Survey
(USGS) Energy Resources Programme. “Advances like the Bay of Bengal discovery will help
unlock the global energy resource potential of gas hydrates as well help define the technology
needed to safely produce them,” Walter Guidroz, coordinator of the US Geological Survey
(USGS) Energy Resources Programme coordinator had said at the time of discovery. Bangladesh
and Myanmar have also made similar discoveries.
After resolving maritime boundary disputes with India and Myanmar, Bangladesh is focusing
on exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the Bay of Bengal’s shallow and
deepwater. The country’s energy ministry has lined up a plan to explore hydrocarbon prospects
in offshore blocks that were put hold following the boundary dispute and carry out a seismic
and geophysical survey over its territorial waters to identify blocks to be offered. Consequently,
South Korean conglomerate Daewoo has made a natural gas discovery in Block D-12 in the Bay
of Bengal in Bangladesh, adjacent to Myanmar’s Block AD 7, in a basin that is shared between
Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh could hold five prospective structures that would near
three gas fields in Myanmar having 226 billion cubic metres (bcm) of reserves. The five structures
could be moderate gas fields. Daewoo has a contract with the Bangladesh government that allows
for exploration in deep seas until 2022. It plans to carry a 3D survey at Block 12, and, if findings
are confirmed, it will start drilling activities.
The energy ministry of Bangladesh has revised the PSC model (2019) to make the terms and
conditions for exploration and development competitive with those of neighbouring countries like
Myanmar and India. It is working to offer better terms on factors such as wellhead gas price, sale
of gas to the third parties, cost recovery limit and tax holiday. With the revised PSC terms, the
energy ministry is hoping to attract the much-needed investments from global companies to tap the
hydrocarbon resources in the Bay of Bengal, which is estimated to have “significant” recoverable
oil and gas reserves. Seismic surveys carried out by ConocoPhillips indicate the presence of
recoverable hydrocarbons reserves in the DS-10 and DS-11 deepwater blocks. Bangladesh

authorities see the development of oil and gas resources in the territorial waters is crucial to avoid
an energy crisis in the country. The government warned that the country could face an acute gas
crisis within three years if no new significant reserves are found. Petrobangla currently supplies
about 69 MMcm/d (2.3 Bcf/d) of natural gas to help meet the demand of more than 90 MMcm/d (3
Bcf/d). The gas supply shortage is expected to reach 30 MMcm/d (1 Bcf/d) by 2020.
However, as mentioned above the Bay of Bengal is geologically unique. One may wonder would
this geologically unique place also host a unique geological resource base. The answer is yes. The
Rakhine basin (onshore/offshore), the Bengal fan (offshore), Krishna-Godavari basin (offshore),
and the Moattama (or Martaban) basin (offshore) are prospective for oil and gas and the offshore
areas are strongly gas-prone. But these reinterpreted prospects/targets have not yet been tested in
Bangladesh offshore.
Although the adjacent Indian and Myanmar offshore host prolific petroleum basins. Bangladesh
offshore is yet to prove its worth, but a reasonable assumption is drawn positively because
analogous geologic settings prevail between these offshore basins. Bangladesh trails behind both
Myanmar and India in offshore hydrocarbon exploration and little is known about the gas and oil
occurrence in the Bay in the Bangladesh part.
Bangladesh has so far explored the conventional structural prospects both onshore and offshore
and this has brought major successes onshore. The second phase of exploration i.e. targeting more
subtle and difficult stratigraphic prospects are yet to be taken up seriously in Bangladesh. This is
the new frontier in the Bangladesh offshore basin.

Geologists theorise that the stratigraphic prospects in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh offshore
are the hotspots for natural gas especially near the maritime boundary of Rakhine offshore in
Myanmar. This is the area where next large gas discoveries in Bangladesh are likely to take place.
Conclusions
The Bay of Bengal host– the Bengal geosyncline the largest depositional system of the world off
Bangladesh coast. Bangladesh offshore is surrounded by several petroliferous basins – Krishna
Godavari, Mahanadi and Rakhain testifying that a rich hydrocarbon (oil and gas) system has
been active. The system should also work in Bangladesh offshore. But Bangladesh hydrocarbon
exploration remains incomplete and immature. Offshore is even less explored. Deep offshore has
not seen a single well drilled. Historically exploration drive is confined mainly on the simplistic
targets. Complex and difficult stratigraphic prospects are not explored. Analogous geological
features of the gas-rich Rakhain offshore basin continues in the subsurface across the maritime
boundary with Bangladesh. Bengal-Rakhain basin, a name proposed in this paper, is a single
geological unit shared by two countries. Large gas found in the adjacent offshore Rakhain basin
provides a convincing sign that similar deep-sea turbidite gas exists in Bangladesh side. The next
large gas fields of Bangladesh are likely to be discovered in the South-East part offshore adjacent
to the maritime boundary with Myanmar.

PAPER - 1
Digitised, Interconnected
and Energy-efficient Smart Port
Mr Richard Willis
Technical Director
Port Operations, Maritime & Aviation (Liverpool, UK),
Royal Haskoning DHV, Netherlands

Abstract
This article will review the new concept of Smart Ports globally and how this relates to mixed
cargo ports in Asia. We will consider the hot trend of equipment automation in container
terminals and how ‘smart’ can be relevant for all types of port authority, terminals and cargo
operations to become ‘smarter’ to suit their local challenges and needs. In this article we will
provide some focus on where value can be extracted for the operation and efficient growth of
Bangladeshi ports, which are the key link in the import and export supply chains and also vital
for fulfilment of national growth and infrastructure objectives. Smart Port projects are using
technology only as a toolkit to deliver the business changes to process and engagement of people
within the port functions. Within the wide range of options available, some consideration of
two key areas will be made in more detail; firstly, the importance of Trade Facilitation, through
reduced administrative and regulatory control processes, and by providing improved customer
services through the port. Secondly, considering the challenges port authorities and operators
face with the understanding, measurement and management of diverse and large port estates
and the many assets and maintenance requirements within. This also focuses on improved of
operational efficiency as the driver for lower cost supply chains, lower environmental impact
and more cost-effective ports to support sustainable growth of Bangladesh through their ports.
Introduction
Smart Port is becoming a buzzword and can mean a lot of specific things, but it is born from
Industry 4.0 and we define it in the following way: In this article, we adopt the smart port use-case
to demonstrate the context-aware smart connectivity, since it includes various types of applications
and has a determined need for monetisation (as opposed to smart primary.. developed for the well-
being and productivity of the society). According to figures from the World Trade Organisation,
80% of worldwide freight is transported through ports. To smart port concept entails the use of
technologies to transform the different publicservices at ports into interactive systems with the
purpose of meeting the needs of port users with a greater level of efficiency, transparency, and
value. European smart port initiatives include the following among many others:
i. port of Rotterdam where IoT-sensors are used to generate a digital twin and enable
augmentedintelligence.
ii. port of Hamburg which exploits 5G networks to enable virtual reality for vital infrastructure
monitoring.
INDUSTRY 4.0
INDUSTRY 3.0 Cyber physical
INDUSTRY 2.0 Automation systems internet of
INDUSTRY 1.0 compurers and wings (loT)
Mass production, electronics networks
Mechanization assembly line,
steam power, electrical energy
weaving loom
1784 1870 1969 Today

iii. port of Antwerp employs blockchain technology to enable a secure transfer of rights to be
exchanged between competing parties.
iv. port of Seville Through the Technoport 2025 project uses mobile network technology for
traffic and goods tracking on port and their logistical transfer on land.
The digitalisation of industrial processes is turning the way we produce goods and service upside
down as we look for higher efficiencies and better management of resources. This transformation
is the so called ‘Industry 4.0.’, and the Internet of Things (IoT) can be considered its ‘cornerstone’
due to the clear need to capture information from all industrial assets.
Critically, however, this is not just about technology alone, but operating smarter with process
and people and tech is the enabling toolkit.
Why be a Smart Port?

Ports have a wide variety of smart port technologies to choose from, but the key strategy issue
they face should guide the selection process. Such as, the need of a port whose trade is limited
to the hinterland are different from intermodal gateway ports where cargo travels to and from
remote areas by rail or barge. Hence an emerging orts need technology that makes it easier to
do business. Rapidly developing economies are building new ports to keep up with strong trade
growth. Modern infrastructure give them the chance to offer greater capacity to incorporate smart
technology. The technology allows the port to develop communication system, single window
customer system, biometric access control system and cargo scanning tools. Smart ports also
promises the following key performance to the stakeholders.
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Smart Ports can appear intimidating and only suitable for Singapore or Rotterdam, with big budgets
and IT demands. But we see that all ports can become SmartER and we use this progression scale
of smartness.
Container Terminal Automation

Let’s just divert a minute to look at CT Automation – which is the remote control or automation of
container handling equipment – typically at large terminals. The following map is the latest view
of projects and useful to note this translates to the main container traffic routes and transhipment
hubs. The drivers for unmanned operations are often large traffic volumes, standardised process
(TS) and high cost or shortage of labour. This yet doesn’t apply to Bangladesh ports. So I think
it’s important to look beyond equipment automation when we are thinking about Smart.
Smart Port Focus for Bangladesh

Let us focus in on few areas of smart ports that might be more relevant for local ports in Bangladesh. A
broad range of improvements can be achieved in Supply Chain Digitalisation, Process Streamline

Automate...
Digital Process
Transformation Equipment
Decisions
Simulate
Learn Digital Twin
Experiment
Optimise
Decision
Support Target
Guide Decisions
Visualise
Collaborate Analyse
Integrate
Data
Capture Digitisation Sensors
& Automate, Organisation & Structures, Resource Efficiency, Skilled Jobs, Asset Management
& Care, Environment – local & global, Customs Clearance, Duty, Taxes, Customs Inspection &
Border Control, Regulatory Control – Vet/Quality, Automated Process & Integration, Paperless
& online, where possible, Customer information, Single Truth Port Community System, Reduced
port storage time and space, More reliable supply chain costs and Improved compliances system.
This may also include EDI exchange platform, Port Community System / ASYCUDA World,
National Single Window andX-Ray Non Invasive container scanning.

Smart Port Focus for
Bangladesh
Supply Chain Digitalisation

Process Streamline & Automate
Organisation & Structures
Resource Efficiency
Skilled Jobs
Asset Management & Care
Environment - local & global
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Smart Port Ecosystem

Theecosystemshown below in a smart ports, which can have a key role in general trade facilitation.
European model is to use technology to reduce supply chain impact, with most cargo being pre-

processed so it is customs cleared as soon as it is discharged. However, alternatively, technology
can be used to reinforce and execute traditional inspection processes.
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Conclusion
To increase the chances of achieving a desired outcome, a port should create a portfolio of
solutions that address related problems. Such as a port uses sensors to measure and provide real
time data on traffic flow and condition. To gain competitive advantage, ports can work with
technology vendors and consultants to proprietary technology. If decided to build port technology
rather than buy, a port should prioritise systems for less critical solutions. Partners with small
digital startups might also be an option. Rotterdam and Singapore are among the leading ports
that have taken this approach.

PAPER - 2
Ocean Energy:
The New Frontier in Asia
Professor Dr Omar bin Yakoob
Marine Technology Centre University Technology, Malaysia
106
Abstract
The declining availability of traditional sources of energy and the harmful effects of fossil fuels
have spurred the development of various forms of renewable energy. Ocean Renewable Energy
(ORE) technology is relatively new. Energy can be harnessed from the temperature difference
between the cold bottom and warm surface water (OTEC), the tidal range fluctuations, tidal
streams flow, ocean waves and the salinity gradient between salty and freshwater. The present
ORE development in Asia is divided into two categories. In South Asia, efforts are mainly focused
on resource assessment and development of laboratory and small-scale prototypes of various
devices. On the other hand, the availability of large government funding has enabled larger
prototypes to be tested in Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea. Because of the low tidal and
wave resources, large scale grid-connected projects are very challenging. Conflicting uses of the
sea restrict large-scale arrays. Therefore, it is more practical to tailor development towards small
local grids for remote islands or coastal communities around the region. In the tropical areas,
OTEC seems to be the most promising for providing the baseload. However, technology is nascent
and will require a larger investment.
Introduction
Around 26% of global electricity production is based on renewable resources. Ocean provides
an enormous origin of renewable resources. The energy from the ocean can be described as the
renewable energy derived from the sea, including ocean wave energy, tidal and open-ocean
current energy, tidal barrages, offshore wind energy, ocean thermal and salinity gradient energy.
The technologies to convert the ocean energy resources to electricity has been developed over the
last 30 years.
The U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) most relevant to renewable energy is SDG 13
(Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts). The Paris Climate Agreement’s
Articles 2 and 41 also speak about the urgency of nations setting national carbon-dioxide emission
reduction targets and using the best available science to achieve these goals. This paper highlights
the technology development status of energy conversion technologies in Ocean Thermal Gradient
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), Tidal Barrage Tidal range (difference between low
tide and high tide), Vertical Axis Current Turbine (Ocean or tidal stream current), Horizontal Axis
Current Turbine (Ocean waves), Wave Energy Converter (Ocean salinity gradient) which are
being used in the ocean to address the challenges.
For ocean wave and tidal/ocean current hydrokinetic technology, only several dozen devices
have progressed to rigorous subscale laboratory wave-tank or tow-tank model testing. Only
a couple of dozen have advanced to short-term (days to months) tests in natural waters. And
only a few devices have progressed to long-term (> 1 year) testing of full-scale prototypes in
natural waters. The first commercial wave energy plant was realised in 2008 in Portugal, and the
first commercial tidal current plant or ocean current plant has yet to be realised. Shallow-water
offshore wind is a commercial technology with almost 1,500 MW of capacity installed in Europe.
Deep-water offshore wind is an emerging technology, probably 10 to 15 years away from large-
scale commercial development. The United States has yet to deploy an offshore wind system.
Eight countries, active in OTEC research and development, have launched or are planning many
projects: France, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Taiwan, and the United
States. There are about 100 nations and territories with access to OTEC thermal resources.
Two countries, the Netherlands and Norway, have active R&D programmes in salinity-based
electricity generation.

Figure 8. Estimated Renewable Energy Share of Global Electricity Production, End-2018
Table 1: Minimum requirement of the ocean energy resources to be harvested economically.
Tidal current
Wave power OTEC Tidal barrages Ocean current power
turbines
≥ 1.5 m/s
≥ 20 ΔT, ≥ 2 m/s
≥ 5 m mean tidal
≥ 25 kW/m
range seasonal average
≤ 5 km from shore peak speed
speed
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)

Based on the principle that useful work can be generated when fluid can be kept at two different
temperatures. The temperature difference between the surface waters and colder waters found at
ocean depths may reach 20o C; large enough to generate work through a turbine. OTEC is the
extraction of solar energy via a heat engine operating across the temperature difference between
warm surface ocean water and cold deep ocean water. In the tropics, surface water temperatures
can exceed 26.7° C (80° F). At ocean depths of 915 m (3,000 ft), more or less, water temperatures
are usually less than 4.4° C (40° F). For a system operating between 26.7° C (80° F) and 4.4°
C (40° F), the maximum theoretical efficiency is only 7.4% and real efficiencies will be less.
Regardless, Carnot efficiency is not the true measure of OTEC feasibility because “fuel” is free.
OTEC has been technically demonstrated as a feasible method to generate electricity.
The Figure above depicts a closed-cycle OTEC system whereby the working fluid is recirculated
within the system. Warm surface ocean water boils a pressurised working fluid in the vaporiser. The
vapour expands through a turbine to drive a generator and produce electric power. The expanded
vapour is converted back to a liquid in the condenser using cold, deep ocean water. The working
fluid pump returns the liquid to the vapouriser to complete the cycle. Ammonia is one OTEC
fluid used because of its thermal properties. Cycle efficiency may be boosted by superheating,
reheating, and similar strategies used in steam cycles, though the cost of the added complexity
must be offset by any performance gains. An open-cycle OTEC system uses warm surface ocean

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a portion of the water flash evaporates. The low-temperature, low-pressure steam (relative to
most existing power plants) expands through the turbine to drive the generator. The expanded
vapour is converted back to a liquid in the condenser using cold deep ocean water. The condensed
liquid is available as desalinated water. The primary disadvantage of the open-cycle system is
the very large size and the limited capacity of the turbine. It is possible to combine the flash
evaporation and condenser of an open cycle system with a closed-cycle system to produce electric
power and desalinated water. This combination is referred to as a hybrid cycle. The ocean is the
solar collector in an OTEC power system.
Tidal Barrage
A tidal current (or hydrokinetic) turbine converts the kinetic energy in a moving mass of water
to electricity. The gravitational forces of the sun and the moon on Earth’s ocean causes sea-level
changes, which, in turn, give rise to strong tidal currents when the tide propagates through relative
constrictions. Open-ocean currents are the vertical or horizontal movement of both surface and
deep water throughout the world ocean caused by Coriolis forces and thermal gradients. In the
Northern Hemisphere, large circular ocean surface currents or gyres move clockwise, and in
the Southern Hemisphere, they rotate counterclockwise. To convert tidal or open-ocean currents
to electricity, energy conversion devices are placed in the flowing water stream where they
harness the kinetic power of the moving water. Unlike traditional hydroelectric generation or
a tidal barrage, they do not require a dam or impoundment. Similar to wave energy conversion,
many devices have been proposed to accomplish the complex conversion of tidal and ocean
current energy to electricity. It is helpful to introduce these designs in terms of their physical
arrangements and energy conversion mechanisms.
Water turbines, like wind turbines, are generally grouped into three types: 1. axial turbines in
which the axis of rotation is parallel to the water stream and thereby horizontal concerning the
seabed 2. cross-flow turbines in which the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the water stream
and may be any angle from horizontal to vertical to the ground 3. Non-turbines, including
oscillatory hydrofoils, vortex-induced motion, and hydro venturi devices which are shown in the
figure below. At high tide, a reservoir captures water whose potential energy is released through a
turbine. Similar to the hydroelectric power plant. The tidal range of at least 5-7 m is required for
economical operation.

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Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, 41(2), 201-215.
Wave Energy Converters (WECs)

Ocean waves are generated by the influence of the wind on the ocean surface, which first causes
ripples. As the wind continues to blow, the ripples become chop, then fully enveloped seas, and
finally swells. In deep water, the energy in waves can travel for thousands of miles before it is
finally dissipated on distant shores. Many devices have been proposed to achieve the conversion
of wave energy into electricity. Various hydraulic or pneumatic power conversion systems
are used, and in some cases, the mechanical motion induced by the wave energy is converted
directly to electrical power (direct-drive). These devices can be bottom-mounted or floating and
vary in size, orientation, and distance from shore. The working principle of the WEC system is
illustrated below.
Salinity Gradient Power

When a river runs into the ocean and freshwater mixes with seawater, a huge amount of energy is
unleashed. Salinity gradient power, or osmotic power, is the energy retrieved from the difference

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height in the year of 2013.
M Tarequl Islam, M Giyas Uddin, Tapan B Chakma, M Zahedur Rahman,

Feasibility Study of Ocean Wave of the Bay of Bengal to Generate Electricity
as a Renewable Energy with a Proposed Design of Energy Conversion System,
International Journal of Renewable Energy Research-IJRER, 2014
in the salt concentration between seawater and river water. Two practical methods for this are
Reverse Electro Dialysis (RED) and Pressure-Retarded Osmosis (PRO). Both processes rely on
osmosis with ion-specific membranes. With RED, a salt solution and freshwater pass through a
stack of alternating cathode and anode exchange membranes. The chemical potential difference
between saltwater and freshwater generates a voltage over each membrane, and the total potential
of the system is the sum of the potential differences overall membranes. It is important to
remember that the process works through differences in ion concentration instead of an electric
field, which has implications for the type of membrane needed. In RED, as in a fuel cell, the

cells are stacked. A module with a capacity of 250 kW is the size of a shipping container. With
PRO, seawater is pumped into a chamber that is separated from a freshwater solution by a semi-
permeable membrane. As a result of the osmotic pressure difference between the two solutions,
water diffuses through the membrane into the seawater chamber, thereby diluting the seawater and
increasing its volume. Pressure compensation in the chamber spins a turbine to generate electricity
which is shown in the figure below. Salinity gradient is a technology that takes advantage of the
osmotic pressure differences between salt and freshwater or water of different salinity.
Combined Ocean Renewable Energy System (CORES)

University Technology Malaysia Combined Ocean Renewable Energy System (CORES)
developed a floating platform. A floating structure to hold all the devices was constructed using
PVC floating pontoon building blocks and held in place by a stainless steel grade 304 frame
structure which is shown below.
CORES Platform –
(1) OWC Device
(2) Point Absorber
(3) Savonius tidal turbine
(4) Solar panel

Conclusion
There are many types of ocean energy and this is an active area of research and development
with considerable long-term promise. Ocean energy technology developers have a variety of
conversion technologies at various stages of development. The time needed for these technologies
to progress from concept to deployment of a long term, full-scale prototype in natural waters is on
the order of 5 to 10 years. Except for the shallow-water offshore wind, ocean energy technologies
are still in an emerging stage of technology development where land-based wind technology was
approximately 15 to 25 years ago. It is too early to know which technologies will turn out to be
the most cost-effective, reliable, and environmentally sound.
The present development in the Asia Pacific region is divided into two categories. In South Asia,
efforts are mainly focussed on resource assessment and development of laboratory and small-
scale prototypes of the various devices. On the other hand, the availability of large government
funding has enabled larger prototypes to be tested in Japan, China and South Korea. Some are
already connected to the grids. OTEC has the biggest potential, particularly in Indonesia, the
Philippines and Malaysia. Vietnam has the potential to develop offshore or coastal wind farms.
India has declared Ocean Energy as Renewable Energy Localised grids for remote small island
communities are more viable. The present level of local R&D in device development is still
low. There is a need for indigenous R&D activities, developing more relevant devices /energy
converters or modifying those from other regions to suit the resource characteristics in South-
Asia. Better sharing and networking platform among researchers in the region is highly required.

PAPER - 3
Prospects of Marine Natural

Resources in Developing
Health Care Products
Professor Dr Savita S. Kerkar
Department of Biotechnology
Goa University, India

Abstract
Our seas and oceans represent a very unknown resource for the discovery of novel organisms
where only 5% have so far been explored. Advances in genetics and other molecular techniques
provide all the necessary tools to access these still- untapped marine resources on a larger scale
and, consequently, enable exploitation of the true promise of the blue biotechnology. 20,000
marine natural products have been discovered in the previous five decades. Preclinical and
clinical pipelines for new pharmaceutics contained almost 1500 molecules, specially related to
anticancer research, new antibiotics, and immune system modulators.
Due to widespread use of known molecules (i.e., antimicrobial resistance), new antibiotics are
necessary, and this is one of the points of worldwide interest in applied marine pharmacology.
In this context, marine microbes are still seen as an untapped resource. Other metabolites from
marine organisms with nutraceutical applications are Nutrients, Enzymes, and other metabolites
(essential fatty acids) which are the key molecules considered within this aspect.
Another great challenge relates to the application of marine biotechnology for algal biofuels
since algae biomass is used to generate biodiesel, bioethanol, bio gasoline, bio methanol,
biobutanol, and other biofuels. Absence of lignin, present in cellulosic biomass, and cultivation
that hardly impacts on food production are the two major positive points for marine biofuel
revolution. Marine natural environment is an enormous source of biodiversity and may provide
us with new molecules from plants, fungi, and other macro- and microorganisms. Seaweed bio
actives possess a wide spectrum of biological actions, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
antivirus, anticancer, anti-hypertensive, fat-lowering, and neuroprotective activities and have
gained much importance in pharmaceutical sector, in particular with their polysaccharides,
pigments, phlorotannin, peptides, minerals, and vitamins.
Current research is focused on intensive efforts for isolation and identification of these new
ingredients. The potential that the oceans offer in terms of new products and processes requires the
concerted effort of academic–industrial collaboration to bring any novel marine biotechnological
outputs to the market.
Introduction
Marine natural products are a very diverse group of molecules, often chemically distinct from
synthetic compounds. Through the process of evolution, they have become biologically active,
performing useful functions, such as regulating cell cycles or acting as chemical defences. To
identify useful compounds researchers can look at marine ecosystem, plants, microbes or marine
organisms that have been investigated for biological activity. Technological advances are also
making it possible to search for undiscovered molecules from existing, known sources. In the
case of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, genetic approaches are used to identify new
compounds. It has been shown that microorganisms often have genes for many more natural
chemicals than those they produce in standard laboratory conditions. Recent research is revealing
how they can be persuaded to actually produce these substances. For example, interfering with
certain enzymes has been found to influence the expression of genes in some fungi, which has
enabled scientists to isolate a number of new compounds.
Marine Ecosystem
The marine ecosystem occupies 70% of the planet’s surface and is comprised of a number of
complex habitats each hosing its own unique biodiversity owing to the varying conditions of
salinity, pressure, temperature and illumination. Marine ecosystems are aquatic ecosystems

whose waters possess a high salt content. They teem with life, providing nearly half of the Earth’s
oxygen and a home for a wide array of species. Scientists generally classify marine ecosystems
into nine main categories; however, labels aren’t always clearly defined. These are:
1. Rocky Shore
Rocky shore ecosystems are coastal
shores made from solid rock. They are
a tough habitat to live on yet they are
home for a number of different animals
and algae. Rocky shore ecosystems
are governed by the tidal movement
of water. The tides create a gradient of
environmental conditions moving from a
terrestrial (land) to a marine ecosystem.
2. Sandy Beach ecosystem

Sandy beaches are dynamic ecosystems
driven by prominent physical processes
that shape the habitat for different
functional and taxonomic groups.
Sandy beaches are, in general, dynamic
environments occurring worldwide
along ice-free coastlines, and located
at the transition between the land and a
waterbody such as oceans, seas or lakes.
3. Coral Reef Ecosystems

Coral reefs are a special subtype of
seafloor ecosystem. Found only in warm
tropical waters and at relatively shallow
depths, coral reefs are among the most
productive ecosystems on the planet.
About one-quarter of marine species
depend on coral reefs for food, shelter or
both.
4. Saltwater Wetland Estuary Ecosystems

Found in coastal areas, saltwater wetlands
may be considered a special type of
estuary, as they also consist of a transition
zone between land and sea. Additionally,
wetlands serve as a protective barrier
to inland ecosystems, as they provide a
buffer from storm surges.

5. Mangrove Ecosystems
Mangrove swamps are characterised by
trees that tolerate a saline environment,
whose roots systems extend above the
water line to obtain oxygen, presenting
a mazelike web. Mangroves host a wide
diversity of life, including sponges,
shrimp, crabs, jellyfish, fish, birds and
even crocodiles.
6. Kelp Forests
Kelp forests are underwater areas with a
high density of kelp, which covers about
25% of the world’s coastlines. Physically
formed by brown macro-algae, kelp
forests provide a unique habitat for
marine organisms and are a source for
understanding many ecological processes.
7. Polar Ecosystem
Polar ecology is the relationship between
plants and animals in a polar environment.
Polar environments are in the Arctic and
Antarctic regions. Polar regions also
contain the subantarctic and subarctic
zone which separate the polar regions
from the temperate regions. Plants and
animals in the polar regions are able
to withstand living in harsh weather
conditions but are facing environmental
threats that limit their survival.
8. Deep Sea Ecosystem

The term ‘deep ocean’ typically describes
any marine ecosystem located at depths
higher than 500 m. This environment is
characterised by an elevated hydrostatic
pressure, an average temperature of
2–4°C, the absence of sunlight and the
scarce availability of organic food.
9. Hydrothermal Vents
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure on the
seafloor from which geothermally heated
water issues. Hydrothermal vents are
commonly found near volcanically active
places, areas where tectonic plates are

moving apart at spreading centers, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal deposits are rocks
and mineral ore deposits formed by the action of hydrothermal vents.
Blue Biotechnology
Blue biotechnology is biotechnology using aquatic organisms - think ‘blue’ for the water that
these organisms live in. We already utilise many aquatic resources such as fish, shellfish, sponges,
and petroleum reserves. But blue biotechnology goes beyond this, utilising an incredible variety
of organisms from Earth’s oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams for many different purposes.
The applications of blue biotechnology are not new; we were extracting substances from sponges
decades ago that have been used in things such as treatment for the AIDS virus. Cod liver oil has
been used as a supplement since the 19th century.
Seafood as Functional Food

Due to the appearance of several human health disorders, such as obesity, hypertension and
heart problems, there has been increasing interest in the study of foods presenting functional
components or substances, that is, those that act on the physiological system, not only improving
human health but also preventing diseases. Such foods are called Functional Foods. Functional
components or substances can be naturally found or be added to commercialised food products.
Human beings, as well as other mammals, can synthesise certain saturated and unsaturated fatty
acids, but are unable to synthesise polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), whose absence may lead
to malfunctioning of the human body. Due to this fact, these fatty acids are called “essential” and
must be included in the diet.
Fish is an important dietary constituent of several population groups, once it is a source of
components of significant nutritional value, such as high quality proteins, vitamins, minerals
and lipids, besides being the largest source of w-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially
the eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA), which bring several benefits to
human organism.
The composition of the eatable portion of fish varies as a function of many factors, such as
specie, sex, sexual maturity degree, size, place of capture, water temperature, type of feeding
and season. The variation in the fatty acidscomposition is explained by fluctuations in the quality
and amount of food, especially phytoplankton, available to the fish. These foods are the greatest
source of several fatty acids, especially the w-3 series ones. Fish oil has been studied and used
in food preparation, especially in margarine, for a long time due to its considerable biochemical,
metabolic, nutritional and pharmaceutical importance. Numerous benefits have been attributed to
fish oil, particularly to its EPA and DHA fatty acids.
Antibiotics from Marine Environment

Marine organisms comprise around 50% of the total biodiversity on earth. These organisms have
shown remarkable contribution in the discovery and production of novel biomolecules. Marine
microorganisms have clearly become an essential new resource in the discovery of new antibiotic
leads. Terrestrial microorganisms have proved to be rich sources for bioactive antibiotics and the
exploration of terrestrial microorganisms and, in particular, the Actinomycetes. Marine bacteria
are considered an emerging source of novel bioactive metabolites with respect to their existence,
diversity and function in the marine environment.

Alkaloids
Alkaloids are a class of naturally occurring organic compounds that mostly contain basic nitrogen
atoms. Alkaloids have a wide range of pharmacological activities including antimalarial (e.g.
quinine), antiasthma (e.g. ephedrine), anticancer (e.g. homoharringtonine), cholinomimetic (e.g.
galantamine), vasodilatory (e.g. vincamine), antiarrhythmic (e.g. quinidine), analgesic (e.g.
morphine), antibacterial (e.g. chelerythrine), and antihyperglycemic activities (e.g. piperine).
Many have found use in traditional or modern medicine, or as starting points for drug discovery.
Other alkaloids possess psychotropic (e.g. psilocin) and stimulant activities (e.g. cocaine, caffeine,
nicotine, theobromine), and have been used in entheogenic rituals or as recreational drugs.
Alkaloids can be toxic too (e.g. atropine, tubocurarine). Although alkaloids act on a diversity of
metabolic systems in humans and other animals, they almost uniformly evoke a bitter taste.
Polyketides
Polyketides are a large group of secondary metabolites which either contain alternating carbonyl
and methylene groups (-CO-CH2-), or are derived from precursors which contain such alternating
groups. Many polyketides have antimicrobial and immunosuppressive properties. Polyketide
natural products are known to possess a wealth of pharmacologically important activities, including
antimicrobial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antitumor and agrochemical properties. These metabolites
are ubiquitous in distribution and have been reported from organisms as diverse as bacteria,
fungi, plants, insects, dinoflagellates, mollusks and sponges. The wide spectrum of acticvity of
polyketides makes them economically, clinically and industrially the most sought after molecules.
Many polyketide products are well-known compounds such as Erythromycin A, a broad spectrum
macrolide antibiotic, the antihelmintic agent avermectin or the immunosuppresants FK506 and
rapamycin. Oleandomycin, rifamycin, lovastatin, oxytetracycline and reserveratrol are a few
more of the thousands of polyketides discovered so far.

Terpenes
Terpenes (and terpenoids) are aromatic organic hydrocarbons found in many plants and even
some insects. Plants developed terpenes to ward off herbivores that might eat them and to attract
helpful predators and pollinators. Cannabis (marijuana) has naturally high levels of terpenes.
“Dank” flower gets its dank stank from being rich in terpenes. Terpenes directly affect your
high and contribute to The Entourage Effect of cannabis. Terpenes have medical benefits,
like cannabinoids, and work synergistically with other compounds in cannabis on the human
endocannabinoid system (ECS). Terpenes give cannabis and vape oil its natural flavor.
Ribosomal Peptides
Genetically encoded and ribosomallysynthesised peptides and small proteins act as important
regulators in fundamental cellular processes, including gene expression, development,
signalling and metabolism. Moreover, they also play a crucial role in eukaryotic and prokaryotic
defence against microorganisms. There is great potential of the ribosomal natural products for
chemical research and drug discovery. Small molecules produced by ribosomal machinery
are increasingly important in drug discovery and development.Unlike nonribosomal peptides
(NRPs) or alkaloids, the ribosomal peptide (RP) natural products cannot (as far as is known)
explore amino acids beyond the canonical 20 proteinogenic amino acids, limiting their structural
diversity to some degree.
Nonribosomal Peptides (NRP)

Till date, more than 50% of drugs which are in clinical use belong to the NRP or mixed polyketide-
NRP families of natural products isolated from marine bacteria, cyanobacteria and fungi. NRP
are a class of peptide secondary metabolites, usually produced by microorganisms like bacteria
and fungi. NRP are a very diverse family of natural products with an extremely broad range
of biological activities and pharmacological properties. They are often toxins, siderophores, or
pigments. NRP antibiotics, cytostatics, and immunosuppressants are in commercial use. The
examples of some NPR based drugs which are now in the market are Daptomycin (antibiotics),
Bleomycin (antitumor), Bacitracin (antibiotics for skin infections), Cyclosporin (antifungal and
immunosuppressant drugs).
Therapeutic Potential of Marine Dinoflagellates

Dinoflagellates comprise a diverse class of flagellated protists found in marine and fresh water
environments. Because of their unprecedented biosynthetic capabilities and ease of culture,
dinoflagellates provide a renewable source for novel chemical structures that may be used as
biological tools or drug candidates. Marine dinoflagellates are phytoplanktons that are commonly
associated with red tides and toxin production are being explored for potential analgesics. The
parent molecule is a tricyclic alkaloid saxitoxin, the toxin responsible for paralytic shellfish
poisoning. It is produced by Alexandriumsp., Gonyaulaxsp. and Gymnodiumsp.Neosaxitoxin and
Gonyautoxin are derivatives of saxitoxin which are currently under evaluation as painkillers and
anaesthetics
• Drug for treating severe chronic pain called ziconitide (Prialt™) - derived from tropical cone
snails (2005):Conusmagnus
• Potentconopeptides-pain, epilepsy and incontinence which is 50 times more efficient than morphine.

Sea Anemones as Sources of Bioactive Compounds
Sea anemones belong to the Phylum Cnidaria and are distinguished by the presence of venomous
nematocysts which help them to capture prey or defend themselves. Of the 1000 species of sea
anemone reported worldwide, India has 40 species belonging to 17 families (24 marine, 13
estuarine and 3 are found in both environments). Only 200 species of sea-anemones have been
studied with the family Actiniidae being the most widely studied. Sea anemone toxins are being
studied for their hemolytic, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity.
Sea anemones are rich source of different pharmacologically active proteins and polypeptides.
Several cytolytic toxins and neuro peptides as well as some protease inhibitors have been
identified, isolated and at least partially characterised from different anemone species of the
order Actiniaria. In addition to several equine toxins, potent cytolytic proteins, a new inhibitor
of papain-like cysteine proteinases, namedequistatin (EI), was recently isolated from the sea
anemone Actinia equina.
Ascidians as a Source of Bioactive Peptides

Ascidians are a family of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders belonging to the sub-phylum
Tunicata. It is found to be a rich source of novel cytotoxic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and
anti-viral peptides. Peptides have the advantage of having low toxicity to non-target cells, high
targeting specificity and effective biological activity. Lurbinectidin (from Ecteinascidiaturbinata),
Aplidine (Aplidiumalbicans) and Didemnin B (Trididemnumsolidum) have reached Phase II
trials as potential anti-cancer drugs.
Coral as Bone Substitute

Coral is an ideal bone graft substitute. It is osteoconductive, inert, and adaptable in terms of size
and shape. It is also biodegradable which allows bone ingrowth and provides structural support.
Coral is similar to human cancellous bone and is one of the few xenogeneic materials that can form
chemical bonds with bone in-vivo. Porosity is a really key aspect of what coral scaffolds can offer
and, because they are naturally forming, they are incredibly strong, efficient and clean. It has long
been recognised by clinicians that using coral shortens hospital stays and speeds the healing process.
Conclusion
In recent years significant technical improvements have been made in isolation and purification
methods, thus improving the prospects for discovering useful natural health products. These
include advanced chromatography methods that make it easier to isolate natural products from
plant, fish and microbial extracts. This makes it quicker, cheaper and easier to identify novel
structures. Natural products are also helping researchers understand how drugs work and are
suggesting new approaches to drug development. Approaches include screening large natural
product libraries using chemical genetics and chemical proteomics (the study of proteins)
procedures. These allow the proteins affected by the natural products to be identified and may
suggest new avenues for drug discovery.

Comments of
Session Chair
Professor Dr Aftab Alam Khan
Department of Oceanography and Hydrography, BSMRMU, Dhaka, Bangladesh
(Former Professor, Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh)
122
Thematic session 3 on maritime technology and harnessing ocean resources was chaired by
Professor Dr Aftab Alam Khan. Altogether one keynote paper and three thematic papers were
presented by the distinguished speakers both from home and abroad.
Keynote speaker very candidly presented most realistic scenario of energy resources in the Bay
of Bengal and its future prospect and challenges. How best energy efficiency of marine ports
through digitisation and interconnection be achieved had been presented by the professional from
Netherlands.
Professor of Marine Technology Center from Malaysia presented about the ocean energy
potentials of Asia. Presentation by the professor of biotechnology from India on the prospect
of marine natural resources in developing health care products has opened a new avenue in the
education of oceanography.
Session Chair expressed high level appreciations to all the distinguished presenters and participants
in this technical session. At the end of the session, floor was opened for the questions and answers.
Participants in this technical session interacted with the distinguished speakers asking very lively
and high standard questions.
At the end, the session chair expressed his gratitude and indebtedness to BSMRMU for chairing
such high level scientific and technical session.

Seminar Resumé
Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain
NBP, OSP, BCGMS, ndc, psc, (retd)
124
Name of our planet is highly misleading; we call it Earth yet 72% of its surface is covered with
water. Often we forget that overexploiting resources, polluting ocean environment and the effect
of climate change have been causing hazards to our ocean.
Today, from this seminar we have understood how we should govern our ocean and how we
should maintain the health of the ocean through good governance. I wish to discuss some of the
policy options that the future leaders of the maritime arena, those are sitting at the back and also
the policymakers and the academician, should take notice of to promote the Blue Economy of
Bangladesh.
According to the first policy options that the seminar has suggested, thedeep-sea fishing should
be undertaken, should be promoted, and encouraged in Bangladesh. In that sense,deep-sea fishing
trawlers and fishing gears should be acquired. Secondly, a research vessel may be considered for
acquisition. Itshould be placed under the disposal of BSMRMU so that other maritime institutions
can also use the facilities.
Thirdly, the digital connectivity of the maritime ports of Bangladesh should be encouraged and
should be upgraded to the best of its capacity so that the flow of goods can support the Blue
Economy of Bangladesh.
In its curriculum, BSMRMU should include maritime connectivity and enhancement mechanism
study for the growth of the maritime community leaders in future.
This Blue Economy initiative involves all the policy and development strategies of Bangladesh
including most of the ministries and the department. The bureaucratic recruitment of the
government of Bangladesh may consider for a Maritime Cadre. The seaports of Bangladesh
should be upgraded with the facilities to accommodate more numbers of TEUs.
Finally, there was a suggestion for instituting the blockchain technologyto facilitate the
development of the port facilities.
These are some of the policy options that the seminar came up with and I am confident that the
policy options if they are implemented, augment our maritime economy.
In conclusion,on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor BSMRMU, I would like to thank the audience,
speakers, academicians and also all the panelist from home and abroad.Hopefully, if we maintain
our ocean and ensure capable governance, we will be able to foster our sustainable economic
development. Thank you very much.

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126 Glimpses of BSMRMU International SEMINAR

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Seminar Proceedings

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh

Design, Proofing and Production

2 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Professor Dr Altaf Hussain

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 3

4 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 5

BSMRMU International Maritime Seminar highlighted the followings,

6 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Speech by Special Guest

Speech by Special Guest

Speech by Chief Guest

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 7

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 9

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

Thank you all,

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 11

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 13

I wish the seminar a grand success.

Thank you very much. Thank you all.

14 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

16 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

I wish the seminar an all-out success.

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 17

Prospects of Blue Economy

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 19

20 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14) , Life Below water

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 21

22 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

in law and politics. Bangladesh’s

application of maritime boundary

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 23

entitlements of Bangladesh, India

and Myanmar (which was not a

party to the arbitration). While in 'HOLP

deciding larger uncertainties over

the entitlements of Bangladesh 

competing for sovereign rights

in the grey area, the Tribunal’s 0

encouragement of the parties to

cooperate in the exercise of their

There are a number of precedents 0DS

where states have shared rights

24 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) project

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 25

Politics and Strategy

26 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

Figure 9: Spread of Rohingya inside and outside Myanmar.

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 27

Comments of Session Chair

28 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 29

BIMSTEC at the Crossroads:

30 30 An Outlook for Sustainable Maritime Development and Governance

BSMRMU International Seminar 2019 Proceedings 31

Somalia Nicobar Is.

party to the arbitration). While in 'HOLP

the entitlements of Bangladesh

There are a number of precedents 0DS

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