COVID-19 has already made a huge negative impact on global economy, disrupting healthcare in developed countries in Europe and America. Busy towns have been deserted. People have become isolated from their daily activities, families and friends. However, to fight this miserable pandemic, the supply-chain and ports should be operational. Since the lifeline of Bangladesh’s economy is Chattogram port and whose slogan is ‘Country Moves with Us’, the port has to be fully operational. In our lead story, we have detailed out Chattogram Port Authority’s initiatives to prevent COVID-19 outbreak in the port as well as to solve on going crises arise from the pandemic.
While the Bangladesh is being ready to achieve the status of a developed country, it has become a necessity to utilise the ocean resources in the Bay of Bengal by sustainable planning and management. Although it is relatively a new concept, Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) should be the first priority in exploring and exploiting ocean resources. Integrated maritime spatial plans have been implemented by about 20 countries, and it is expected that by 2030, at least a third of the surface area of the world’s exclusive economic zones will have government approved maritime spatial plans. Comprehending its gravity, an article describing the MSP and its necessity in the Bay of Bengal is accommodated in our ‘Perspective’ section.
In the ‘Panorama’ section we have featured the port fire service unit works to provide fire, accident and any kind of emergency services inside the port. More than 50 trained firefighters have been working in two shifts to provide round-the-clock service. The port fire service unit has modern equipment like a full-fledged and modern fire station. Equipped with 5 fire tenders, the fire unit is capable of extinguishing any kind of fire inside the port.
Besides, the ‘Newsbytes’ section will inform you of all the important maritime events and developments which took place during the second quarter of this year.
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