The government is prioritising shipbuilding and ship recycling to expand exports and will propose a “hybrid model” to ease the bank-guarantee problems of private shipyards, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said at Chattogram Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) on 8 October 2026, UNB reported.
Under the proposal, private firms would work with Bangladesh Navy dockyards and use bank-guarantee facilities under government supervision. The minister called guarantees a major obstacle for private yards, and said a high-level committee of the shipping, environment and commerce ministries would oversee both sectors. Plans are under way for a modern design and skills centre with partners such as Norway and the Netherlands.
Muktadir said “several thousand old ships” are expected to need recycling globally in the next five to seven years and that the sectors could one day earn several billion dollars a year, but only if Bangladesh meets the compliance standards of European and North American markets. CDDL officials said the Navy-run yard could build large vessels but needs modern cranes, fabrication shops, design facilities and more construction docks.
Source
- UNB: “Govt taking coordinated steps to boost shipbuilding, recycling exports: Commerce Minister” (8 October 2026)
File photo: an earlier ceremony at Chittagong Dry Dock Limited. Photo: Press Information Department / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
This article was prepared by Maritime News BD from the report(s) and documents listed above; it was not independently reported by Maritime News BD.
