Bangladesh Coast Guard

The Bangladesh Coast Guard (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ কোস্ট গার্ড; 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 and sailors are transferred from Bangladesh Navy, and most of the medical officers are transferred from Bangladesh Army. 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.[3] A huge modernisation plan named Coast Guard Goal 2030 has been undertaken to enhance its capabilities.

Bangladesh Coast Guard
বাংলাদেশ কোস্ট গার্ড
বাংলাদেশ উপকূল রক্ষক
Bangladesh Coast Guard Force Crest
Bangladesh Coast Guard Ensign
AbbreviationBCG
Mottoসমুদ্রের অভিভাবক
Guardian at Sea
Agency overview
FormedFebruary 14, 1995
Employees3,339 personnel,[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionBangladesh
Constituting instruments
  • Coast Guard Act, 1994
  • Coast Guard Act, 2016 (Act No. 9 of 2016).[2]
Specialist jurisdiction
  • Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue.
Operational structure
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Agency executive
  • Rear admiral M Ashraful Haq, (C), NUP, ndc, afwc, psc, BN, Director General
Parent agencyMinistry of Home Affairs
Facilities
Boats63 Ships[3]
Notables
Anniversary
  • 12 December
Website
coastguard.gov.bd
Color: Gold, Blue         

History

The Bangladesh Navy had been performing the duties of a Coast Guard in addition to own duties of maritime defence since 1994. 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][3]

Role and mission
Bangladesh Coast Guard unit marching in Victory Day Parade.

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

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

Primary
  • 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
  • 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.

Command and control

Headquarters
Appointment Rank and Name
Director General Rear Admiral M Ashraful Haq, (C), NUP, ndc, afwc, psc, BN
Deputy Director GeneralCommodore M Anwar Hossain (ND), NGP, pcgm, ndc, afwc, psc, BN
Director (operations)Captain Rakib Uddin Bhuiyan (TAS), psc, BN
Director (Intelligence)Captain S M Sharif ul Islam (N), NPP, pcgms, psc, BN
Director (Personnel)Captain M Mosayed Hossain (TAS), bcgm, afwc, psc, BN
Director (Engineering)Captain M Nurul Islam Sharif (E), psc, BN
Director (Logistics)Captain M Golam Hossain (S), psc, BN
Director (IT & Communications)Captain M Ehsan Ullah Khan (G), pcgm, psc, BN
Judge Advocate GeneralInstructor Commander Mohammad Amirul Islam BN

Zonal commands
Appointment Rank and Name
Zonal Commander (Dhaka Zone)Commander Abu Taher Mohammad Rezaul Hassan (C), BCGM, PCGMS, BN
Zonal Commander (East Zone)Captain Waseem Maqsood, (G), psc, BN
Zonal Commander (West Zone)Captain M Habib ul Alam, (H1), NUP, PCGM, psc, BN
Zonal Commander (South Zone)Captain S M Moyeen Uddin, (H1), psc, BN

Training Base BCG Agrajatra
Appointment Rank and Name
CommandantCommodore M Mamunur Rashid (TAS), BCGMS, afwc, psc, BN
Deputy CommandantCaptain M Nazmul Hasan, (N), NPP, psc, BN
Commander Training WingCaptain Mohammad Monirul Alam, (S), psc, BN

Director Generals

Ships
Leader Class Offshore Patrol Vessel, built in Italy.
Main article: List of ships of the Bangladesh Coast Guard
Type Quantity Note
Offshore Patrol Vessel4
Fast Attack Craft (Gun)4
Coastal Patrol Craft5
Riverine Patrol Craft6
Defender-class boat35
Metal shark boat9
Aluminum Workboat6
Harbour Patrol Boat4

Future modernisation plan

The Bangladesh government has started a massive modernisation plan named Coast Guard Goal 2030 to make Coast Guard a well-trained and well-equipped force to ensure the security of the coastal area. The expansion of the force manpower is also included in the plan.

The Bangladesh government has purchased four Minerva-class ships from Italy for the Coast Guard. The ships will be transformed into offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) before arriving in Bangladesh.[4] Already two vessels are in service and the remaining two were delivered in 2017.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has signed a contract with Dockyard and Engineering Works Limited for the construction of four inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) of two types and two fast patrol boats (FPBs). Another contract has been signed for three Padma-class patrol vessel with Khulna Shipyard in 2016.[5] A floating crane also under construction there.

Coast guard ordered six X12 high speed boats which will be built at Narayanganj Dockyard with technical assistance from 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).

The formation of Coast Guard aviation wing is under process. The force has a plan to procure 10 helicopters for patrolling and search and rescue (SAR) operations within 2025.[6]

Coast guard also wants to be a technologically advanced outfit in monitoring the sea. It has a long term plan of installing Long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) and Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS) systems by 2025.[6]

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References
  1. "'Continue effort to trafficking of drugs and humans'". Dhaka Tribune. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  2. "Coast Guard Act, 2016". Act No. 9 of 2016.
  3. "Govt committed to giving 'Blue Economy' concept into reality: PM". Bangladesh Awami League. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  4. "Purchase committee okays procurement of four ships for Coast Guard". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  5. "3 X INSORE PATROL VESSEL". Khulna Shipyard. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  6. "Increasing the Coast Guard's capacity". The Independent. Dhaka. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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