Bangladesh Coast Guard
| Bangladesh Coast Guard | |
|---|---|
|
বাংলাদেশ কোস্ট গার্ড বাংলাদেশ উপকূল রক্ষক | |
 Bangladesh Coast Guard Crest | |
| Active | 1995 – present |
| Country |
 Bangladesh |
| Allegiance | Constitution of the People's republic of Bangladesh |
| Branch | Coast Guard |
| Type | Coast Guard |
| Size | 3,339 personnel,[1] 63 Ships[2] |
| Coast Guard Directorate General | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Nickname(s) | BCG |
| Motto(s) |
"Guardian at Sea" সমুদ্রের অভিভাবক |
| Colors | Gold, Blue |
| Anniversaries | 12 December |
| Commanders | |
| DG Bangladesh Coast Guard | Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury NBP, OSP, BCGM, ndc, psc |
| Insignia | |
| Bangladesh Coast Guard Ensign |
 |
The Bangladesh Coast Guard (Bengali transliteration: বাংলাদেশ কোস্ট গার্ড; translated from English: বাংলাদেশ উপকূল রক্ষক); BCG is the maritime law enforcement force of Bangladesh. It is a paramilitary force which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its officers are transferred from the Bangladesh Navy. The Bangladesh Coast Guard also performs the duty of maritime border security of Bangladesh. The headquarters is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Currently the coast guard has 3,339 personnel[1] and 63 ships.[2] A huge modernization plan named Coast Guard Goal 2030 has been undertaken to enhance its capabilities.
History
The Bangladesh Navy had been performing the duties of a Coast Guard in addition to own duties of maritime defence since the independence of Bangladesh. As time passed, the growing responsibility and workload became inconvenient for the Bangladesh Navy, with the increasing volume of policing duties at sea taking away from its primary role. The emergence of the Bangladesh Coast Guard was the result of the growing awareness in the Government for the requirement of a separate service to enforce national laws in the waters under national jurisdiction and ensure safety of life and property at sea. Following this the Coast Guard Act 1994 was passed by the Parliament in September 1994. Formally the Bangladesh Coast Guard in its present shape came into being on 14 February 1995 and started operational activities with two patrol craft received from Bangladesh Navy. The force is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard motto is ‘Guardian at Sea’.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard is a unique force that carries out an array of civil and military responsibilities touching almost every facet of the Bangladesh maritime environment. The force now has a zone, three bases, 18 stations, 10 outpost, 57 different categories of water vessels and eight pontoons along with 3,339 manpower.[1][2]
Role & Mission
Over 90% of Bangladesh exports and imports pass through two sea ports at Chittagong and Mongla. Sea-lines communication to these two sea ports are the life lines of the Bangladesh economy. UNCLOS 1982 has made provision for sovereign rights for exploration and exploitation of living and non living resources in the Bangladesh EEZ. The fishery sector contributes an important part of national export earning. A significant quantity of gas has been discovered at Sangu in the Bay of Bengal, the extraction of which has already started. Apart from these, a vast number of ships and craft of various types and sizes operate at sea for trade, commerce, fishing, research, exploration and extraction of oil, gas and minerals and so on. To exercise effective control, to ensure safety and security and protect national and international maritime interest at sea, all these diverse activities are brought under various national and international laws and acts.
Mission of Bangladesh Coast Guard
Control piracy, illegal trafficking, protect fishery, oil, gas, forest resources and environmental pollution in Bangladesh waters and coastal areas, ensure overall security and law and order through security assistance to sea ports, conduct relief and rescue operation in the coastal areas during natural calamity
Role of Bangladesh Coast Guard
Primary Role
- Preserve national interest at sea
- Fishery protection
- Prevent illegal immigration through the sea
- Pollution control
- Piracy control
- Prevent smuggling, trafficking of illegal arms, drugs and narcotics
- Disaster relief operations
- Search and rescue operations
- Preservation of forest
- Surveillance over the sea areas of Bangladesh
- Carry out any other duty assigned by the government
Secondary Role
- Assist Bangladesh Navy during war
Area of Jurisdiction
The area of jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Coast Guard is the sea territory of Bangladesh as declared under the Territorial and Maritime Zone Act, 1974. The Bangladesh Government being a signatory has ratified UNCLOS, 1982.
Areas of Jurisdiction in the Bay of Bengal are:
- Internal Waters
- Territorial Water
- Contiguous Zone
- Exclusive Economic Zone
- Continental Shelf
Apart from the sea territory of Bangladesh, the government has also placed the waterways of the mangrove forest of Sundarban and major rivers up to Dhaka under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard has the following zonal command: East, West, South and the Dhaka sub zone.
Director General
Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury NBP, OSP, BCGM, ndc, psc is the present Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard.
List of Director Generals (DG) of the Bangladesh Coast Guard
- Commodore Shafiq-ur-Rahman (N) ncc psc BN (22 Feb 1995 – 6 Aug 1998)
- Captain M A Motalib (G) ndu psc BN (7 Aug 1998 – 28 Apr 1999)
- Commodore M Shahabuddin (E) psc BN (29 Apr 1999 – 29 Jan 2002)
- Commodore Shah Iqbal Mujtaba (D) ndc psc BN (29 Jan 2002 – 29 May 2002)
- Captain S M H Kabir ndu psc BN (29 May 2002 – 5 March 2005)
- Commodore Sarwar Jahan Nijam (C) ndu psc BN (6 March 2005 – 20 June 2006)
- Rear Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nijam (C) ndu psc BN (21 June 2006 – 8 February 2007)
- Commodore M A K Azad (G) ndc psc BN (8 February 2007 – 5 January 2008)
- Commodore Moqsum Ul Kader (C) ndc afwc psc BN (6 January 2008 – 25 Jan 2009)
- Rear Admiral Z U Ahmed ndc, psc, BN (26 Jan 2009 to 27 Jan 2009)
- Commodore Moqsum Ul Kader (C) ndc afwc psc BN (27 Jan 2009 to 23 Mar 2009)
- Commodore A S M A Abedin (E)ndc, psc, BN (23 Mar 2009 – 31 Mar 2011)
- Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain (TAS), (CD), ncc, psc (1 Apr 2011 - 16 Dec 2013)
- Rear Admiral M Makbul Hossain,OSP, ndu, psc (4 Dec 2013 – 15 Feb 2016)
- Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury NBP, OSP, BCGM, ndc, psc (16 Feb 2016 – Present)
Equipment
Ships
| Type | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Offshore Patrol Vessel (Corvette) | 2 | 2 other OPVs will be delivered by June 2017[3] |
| Fast Attack Craft (Gun) | 4 | |
| Coastal Patrol Craft | 5 | |
| Riverine Patrol Craft | 6 | |
| Defender-class boat | 5 | |
| Metal shark boat | 9 | |
| Aluminum Workboat | 6 | |
| Harbour Patrol Boat | 4 |
Future modernization plan
The Bangladesh government has started a massive modernization plan named "Coast Guard Goal 2030" to enhance the capabilities of Bangladesh Coast Guard. A training base for coast guard named CG Base Agrajatra has been set up at Patuakhali.[4]
The Bangladesh Coast Guard received six Aluminum Workboats from Croatia in 2014. These boats are 10.8 meters long, with 2 motors Volvo Penta D6-370 and Hamilton Jets HJ274. Two harbor patrol boats were added to the Coast Guard fleet, built at DEW Narayanganj.[5]
Bangladesh also ordered X12 high speed boats from PT Lundin Industry of Indonesia. These ships are made of carbon composite and have a length of 11.7 metres (38 ft) and a speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). 6 of the boats will be built in Indonesia and the rest in Bangladesh. The construction of eight pontoon boats are also taking place at different shipyards.[6]
The government approved the purchase of four Minerva-class ships from Italy for use by the Coast Guard. The ships will be transformed into offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) before arriving in Bangladesh.[7] The purchase of two large vessels is planned. These ships will provide the ability to extend the patrol range of the Coast Guard.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard has signed a contract with Narayanganj Dockyard for the construction of two inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) and two fast patrol boats (FPBs). The FPBs will be 43.4 metres (142 ft) long, 6.4 metres (21 ft) wide and have a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h). The IPVs will be 52 metres (171 ft) in length, 7 metres (23 ft) wide with a maximum speed 25 knots. The vessels are expected to be delivered within 2017.[8]
On 19 May 2015, the Bangladesh government approved a project costing Tk. 468 crore to strengthen the coast guard. The project includes the procurement of three inshore patrol vessels, six large high-speed boats and one floating crane.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 "'Continue effort to trafficking of drugs and humans'". dhakatribune.com. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Govt committed to giving 'Blue Economy' concept into reality: PM". Bangladesh Awami League. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ↑ "Italian navy hands over two warships to Coast Guard". The Independent. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ↑ "PM inaugurates coast guard training centre in Patuakhali". bdnews24.com. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ↑ "Aluminium Workboats for BCG". nasional.tempo.co. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "Bangladesh Buying X12 Boats". defencebd.com. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ↑ "Purchase committee okays procurement of four ships for Coast Guard". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ↑ "Role of Bangladesh coast guards lauded.". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ↑ "Govt takes Tk 468cr project to strengthen coast guard". The Daily Sun. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.