Economic Reporter :
South Korea is willing to invest in Bangladesh’s shipping sector, especially in the construction of Bay-terminal and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Chittagong port.
The interest came when State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury held a meeting with Korean Oceans and Fisheries Minister Prof Daniel Seong-Hyeok Moon at Glad Hotel Yeouido in Seoul on Thursday, according to a press release.
During the meeting, they discussed bilateral issues related to mutual interests, including blue biotechnology, tidal energy, ocean safety, training in maritime sector, recruitment of Bangladeshi sailors and shipbuilding.
Bangladesh Ambassador to South Korea Abida Islam, Chairman of Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Rear Admiral Zulfikar Aziz, Joint Secretary of the shipping Ministry Rafique Ahmed Md Mohidul Islam and Senior Information Officer Md Jahangir Alam Khan were, among others, present at the meeting.
Khalid said Bangladesh has a huge number of skilled manpower, urging Korean entrepreneurs to invest more in the shipping and fisheries sectors of Bangladesh.
He flagged the investment opportunities in shipping and deep sea fishing sectors taking advantage of a huge potential market. In response, the Korean Minister assured him to extend necessary assistance on the issues discussed in the meeting.
Before the meeting, the State Minister visited the new transshipment port as well as the old port in Busan and discussed issues related to the development of ports with senior officials there.
While emphasising strengthening the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and South Korea, the State Minister also stressed augmenting the existing relationship in the shipping sectors of the two countries.
Both sides exchanged views on areas of mutual interest including blue bio-technology, tidal energy, ocean safety, training in the maritime sector and scopes for employment of Bangladeshi seafarers in the Korean fleet.
The visit of the State Minister to South Korea and the bilateral meeting with his counterpart will further boost the bilateral shipping relations and also the bilateral engagement in the coming days, said the Bangladesh Embassy.
