B Mirror Report: The government has taken a policy decision to remove administrative bottlenecks in Bangladesh’s shipbuilding and ship recycling sectors to strengthen their competitiveness in international markets and help retain European investment and overseas orders.
A final framework is being prepared to shift the central file approval process from Dhaka to Chattogram in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Department of Environment and other stakeholders.
The move is expected to reduce the 45–60-day delays in obtaining necessary clearances for shipyards. The government has also directed authorities to accelerate the establishment of a central Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF).
The decisions were taken at a meeting of a high-level national expert committee formed to review laws, regulations and policies related to the ship recycling industry. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.
Officials said Bangladesh takes longer than competing countries to provide necessary clearances to shipyards, creating a risk of losing international orders. To address the issue, environment-related files will be reviewed more quickly at the Department of Environment’s Chattogram office.
Commerce and Industry and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir said eliminating bureaucratic complications was essential to secure international orders.
“Rules must be practical and implementable. There is no scope for allowing red tape to hold back a promising economic sector by retaining rules that cannot be implemented,” he said.
He said a working group involving the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) had already started work on a special one-stop service platform.
Environmental protection and hazardous waste management remain among the biggest challenges for the shipbreaking and recycling sector. Officials said the absence of a central TSDF has discouraged some international shipowners, particularly high-standard European shipping lines, from sending old vessels to Bangladesh.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintu directed authorities to implement the central TSDF on an urgent basis.
He said the infrastructure was essential for treating and safely disposing of waste and warned that Bangladesh could fall behind in global trade unless shipyards were transformed into “green yards” in line with the Hong Kong Convention.
The minister also stressed the need to ensure a steady supply of raw materials for the country’s re-rolling and housing sectors while fully implementing international conventions.
The meeting also discussed long-pending bank loans and financing shortages in the sector. It was decided that entrepreneurs should receive direct support under a new economic framework without putting additional pressure on banks or allowing old legal complications to cause prolonged delays.
A joint meeting with shipyard owners and financial institutions will be organised soon to discuss the issue.
Senior government officials, including Industry Secretary Abdun Naser Khan, State Minister for Shipping Rajib Ahsan, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, Finance Secretary Dr Md Khairuzzaman Majumder and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Liaquat Ali Molla, attended the meeting.
