Khulna Shipyard Limited (KSL) laid the keel on 16 June 2026 for an international-standard marine research vessel for the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (BORI), BSS reported, citing an ISPR release. A keel was also laid for a self-sustained pontoon to support the vessel’s mooring.
KSL, a state-owned yard managed by the Bangladesh Navy, and BORI signed the construction agreement on 10 February 2026 under the Direct Procurement Method. The package includes one small research vessel, the pontoon, two high-speed cabin boats and a 250-metre jetty with gangway. UK-based Keel Marine Ltd is providing technical support and Bureau Veritas is supervising construction as classification society. The vessel will carry modern oceanographic survey and research systems and is due for completion in 2028.
Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam was chief guest. The release did not disclose the cost or the vessel’s dimensions. Bangladesh has relied on foreign research ships, such as Norway’s Dr Fridtjof Nansen, for major deep-sea surveys.
Source
- BSS: “Int’l-standard marine research vessel to be built at Khulna Shipyard” (16 June 2026)
File photo: an oceanographic research vessel (not the BORI vessel). Photo: Gordon Leggett / CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.
