Dr. Abdullahel Bari :
The recent policy regarding shipbuilding industry expects to earn foreign currencies, generate employments, strengthen blue economy endeavors and participate in government mega projects. The other benefits that shipbuilding usually renders are hidden and must it be so for the space constraint. It is very critical to recognise vices of shipbuilding and shipping as well.
Contributions and benefits of shipbuilding are multifarious, tangible and intangible. Notables of these are (I) retaining freight costs of exports and imports of a nation as well as earning of freights by transporting goods for other nations, (ii) employment generation (iii) foreign currencies earning exporting ships and saving foreign currencies substituting imports (iv) saving & earning foreign currencies in terms of wages and salaries of nationals employed on board national and foreign ships as well as in local and foreign shipyards and industries (v) wealth acquisition (vi) development of industries and infrastructures (vii) technological elevation of societies (viii) establishment of trade and commerce (ix) strengthening naval forces (x) improving diplomacy and (xi) glorifying national image.
Shipbuilding creates employments on the land and on the sea. Venues of employments on the land are shipyards, dockyards, marine and machine workshops, supply chain manufacturing factories & companies, classification societies, statutory surveyors’ and registrars ‘ offices, backward and forward linkage industries, allied service proving companies, such as, banks, financial institutions, educational and training institutions, ports, tourist spots, navies, etc, and on the sea venues are shipping, fishing, tourism, navies, platforms and installations for exploration and extraction of minerals, chemicals, gas and oil, power generation and other activities continuing and to be developed under Blue Economy. Professionals, such as, naval architects, engineers of different disciplines, marine engineers, captains, surveyors, computer experts, software developers, managers, accountants and lawyers find employments in shipbuilding and in allied fields on the land. Captains, deck officers, cadets, marine engineers, electricians, engine room artificers, seamen, ships stewards, fishermen, fish processors and many others get jobs on the sea. Also a large blue colour workforce comprised of highly skilled, skilled, semi- skilled artisans, such as, draftsmen, welders, cutters, fabricators, pipe fitters, electricians, painters, galvanisers, metal casters and blacksmiths, equipment and machine operators, dock masters and able bodied men such as, labour gangs and security guards etc. are employed on the land. New building and repair works may alone generate 500,000+ employments by 2026 in these fields if appropriate needed investments are made.
However, shipbuilding provides towers and wings of wind mills, heavy steel structures, and helps laying the underwater fibre optics, transmission pipelines, cables and erecting bridges. In developing countries, it fabricates complicated pipe lines for chemical plants, structural members for high rise large span factory sheds, large high rise towers for power transmission across wide rivers, steel girders for flyovers, railway bridges and large river bridges. A shipyard incorporating separate production lines may produce baily bridges, containers and structures for sky scrapers.
Floating part of any navy is the contribution of shipbuilding. A strong navy offers a nation an aim to acquire wealth. Possessing an invincible aircraft carrier is a formidable deterrent and a sign of prestige. A naval exercise is probably the best demonstration of the military strength of a country. A submarine introduced first in 1620 is still dominant in the underwater warfare.
Shipyards generate inward trades and commerce through purchasing their consumptions. Shipping, using products of shipbuilding, has generated trades and Commerce since the blossom of human desire for wealth. It carries now more than 80 per cent of commodities for consumptions of the human and the industry. Therefore, trades like of oil, chemicals, gas, minerals, industrial products, what not, are created by shipping which is a direct contribution of shipbuilding. Apart from employments, cruise ships and tourism provide added values, outlook and visualisation of wonder of the creation by the mankind. Shipbuilding is one of the important ingredients for developing the ocean based blue economy.
Blue Economy is being considered as the most beneficial for the integrated development of the mankind with strict adherence to its first principle to protect and nourish the ocean, the sea and the environment. Tourism contributes 26 per cent of its total accounted for contributions wherein Bangladesh is nearly non-existent. The employment in the fishing sector is the largest among all ongoing activities in the blue ocean. Bangladesh has a huge potential to increase needed employment of her large population and to earn from fishing, especially in the newly secured ocean area. Further, she is unable to explore her ocean and sea resources including fishes. Many of these resources are being lost on ageing which otherwise could be a substantial support to the people of Bangladesh and also to international communities. Bangladesh is naturally energy hungry having very low per head consumption. Ocean based energy generation could be an answer.
It is important that Bangladesh may draw supports from international communities to explore her sea resources. She may have preferences having quite a large population yet to have their living standard elevated. Bangladesh is also likely to get international supports to help reduce global carbon-foot-prints through harnessing energy from the ocean and the sea. The world’s first global guiding framework for banks, insurers and investors to finance a sustainable blue economy has been adopted in 2018. 14 principles are laid down by OECD to finance a blue economic activity.
The recent policy regarding shipbuilding industry expects to earn foreign currencies, generate employments, strengthen blue economy endeavors and participate in government mega projects. The other benefits that shipbuilding usually renders are hidden and must it be so for the space constraint. It is very critical to recognise vices of shipbuilding and shipping as well.
Contributions and benefits of shipbuilding are multifarious, tangible and intangible. Notables of these are (I) retaining freight costs of exports and imports of a nation as well as earning of freights by transporting goods for other nations, (ii) employment generation (iii) foreign currencies earning exporting ships and saving foreign currencies substituting imports (iv) saving & earning foreign currencies in terms of wages and salaries of nationals employed on board national and foreign ships as well as in local and foreign shipyards and industries (v) wealth acquisition (vi) development of industries and infrastructures (vii) technological elevation of societies (viii) establishment of trade and commerce (ix) strengthening naval forces (x) improving diplomacy and (xi) glorifying national image.
Shipbuilding creates employments on the land and on the sea. Venues of employments on the land are shipyards, dockyards, marine and machine workshops, supply chain manufacturing factories & companies, classification societies, statutory surveyors’ and registrars ‘ offices, backward and forward linkage industries, allied service proving companies, such as, banks, financial institutions, educational and training institutions, ports, tourist spots, navies, etc, and on the sea venues are shipping, fishing, tourism, navies, platforms and installations for exploration and extraction of minerals, chemicals, gas and oil, power generation and other activities continuing and to be developed under Blue Economy. Professionals, such as, naval architects, engineers of different disciplines, marine engineers, captains, surveyors, computer experts, software developers, managers, accountants and lawyers find employments in shipbuilding and in allied fields on the land. Captains, deck officers, cadets, marine engineers, electricians, engine room artificers, seamen, ships stewards, fishermen, fish processors and many others get jobs on the sea. Also a large blue colour workforce comprised of highly skilled, skilled, semi- skilled artisans, such as, draftsmen, welders, cutters, fabricators, pipe fitters, electricians, painters, galvanisers, metal casters and blacksmiths, equipment and machine operators, dock masters and able bodied men such as, labour gangs and security guards etc. are employed on the land. New building and repair works may alone generate 500,000+ employments by 2026 in these fields if appropriate needed investments are made.
However, shipbuilding provides towers and wings of wind mills, heavy steel structures, and helps laying the underwater fibre optics, transmission pipelines, cables and erecting bridges. In developing countries, it fabricates complicated pipe lines for chemical plants, structural members for high rise large span factory sheds, large high rise towers for power transmission across wide rivers, steel girders for flyovers, railway bridges and large river bridges. A shipyard incorporating separate production lines may produce baily bridges, containers and structures for sky scrapers.
Floating part of any navy is the contribution of shipbuilding. A strong navy offers a nation an aim to acquire wealth. Possessing an invincible aircraft carrier is a formidable deterrent and a sign of prestige. A naval exercise is probably the best demonstration of the military strength of a country. A submarine introduced first in 1620 is still dominant in the underwater warfare.
Shipyards generate inward trades and commerce through purchasing their consumptions. Shipping, using products of shipbuilding, has generated trades and Commerce since the blossom of human desire for wealth. It carries now more than 80 per cent of commodities for consumptions of the human and the industry. Therefore, trades like of oil, chemicals, gas, minerals, industrial products, what not, are created by shipping which is a direct contribution of shipbuilding. Apart from employments, cruise ships and tourism provide added values, outlook and visualisation of wonder of the creation by the mankind. Shipbuilding is one of the important ingredients for developing the ocean based blue economy.
Blue Economy is being considered as the most beneficial for the integrated development of the mankind with strict adherence to its first principle to protect and nourish the ocean, the sea and the environment. Tourism contributes 26 per cent of its total accounted for contributions wherein Bangladesh is nearly non-existent. The employment in the fishing sector is the largest among all ongoing activities in the blue ocean. Bangladesh has a huge potential to increase needed employment of her large population and to earn from fishing, especially in the newly secured ocean area. Further, she is unable to explore her ocean and sea resources including fishes. Many of these resources are being lost on ageing which otherwise could be a substantial support to the people of Bangladesh and also to international communities. Bangladesh is naturally energy hungry having very low per head consumption. Ocean based energy generation could be an answer.
It is important that Bangladesh may draw supports from international communities to explore her sea resources. She may have preferences having quite a large population yet to have their living standard elevated. Bangladesh is also likely to get international supports to help reduce global carbon-foot-prints through harnessing energy from the ocean and the sea. The world’s first global guiding framework for banks, insurers and investors to finance a sustainable blue economy has been adopted in 2018. 14 principles are laid down by OECD to finance a blue economic activity.
(Dr. Abdullahel Bari is Chairman, Ananda Group, President, Association of Export Oriented Shipbuilding Industries of Bangladesh).
