The Maritime Safety Week-2016 will be observed in the country from today with a view to creating awareness about safe shipping.
The theme of the 8th Maritime Safety Week is ‘Training and efficiency ensure safety in shipping. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion of the Maritime Safety Week. They called upon all concerned to ensure safe shipping in the country.
The Maritime Safety Week-2016 will be formally inaugurated at a function at BIAM auditorium in the city today noon. Secretary-in-Charge of Shipping Minister Ashok Madhob Roy will preside over the function, said an official release yesterday. Department of shipping under the shipping ministry will organize the function.
In his message on the eve of the week, the President said the importance of shipping is immense in socio-economic development in the riverine Bangladesh. There is no alternative to developing safe river transport system to turn Bangladesh into a developed country, he added. He urged the people concerned to ensure marine safety and play dynamic role to build a ‘Sonar Bangla’ of Bangabandhu’s dream through concerted efforts.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said shipping is the traditional mode of internal communication in Bangladesh. The government is continuing development of shipping sector following the trend initiated by Father of the National Bangabandu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she added. The present government in last seven years implemented extensive development programmes in the sector to revive navigability of river routes and keep the rivers free of encroachment and pollution, she added. Highlighting a number of steps to ensure safety in shipping routes, the Prime minister said the shipping sector has become modern and dynamic because of those steps.
The Prime Minister said, to develop a world class shipping administration in Bangladesh, there is no alternative to ensuring efficient, safe and environment friendly rive transport system by following national and international maritime laws. She hoped that all agencies and organizations concerned would be more active to build a safe Bangladesh free from river accidents. Marking the week a supplement will be published in newspapers.
