DHAKA, May 21, 2021 (BSS) – In Bangladesh, no incident of armed robbery against ships was reported during the period from January to April 2021 though two such incidents took place during January-April 2020, according to a recent report of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
As per the report, 24 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia during January-April 2021 and of these incidents, 23 were actual incidents and one was an attempted incident.
The total number of incidents during January-April 2021 decreased by 38 percent compared to January-April 2020.
A total of 39 incidents (38 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported during January-April 2020.
In India, one incident was reported during January-April 2021 compared to seven incidents during January-April 2020 while five incidents were reported during January-April 2021 compared to nine incidents during January-April 2020 in Indonesia.
In the Philippines, three incidents were reported during January-April 2021 compared to five incidents during January-April 2020.
Talking to BSS, Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Rear Admiral Mohammad Shahjahan said after joining as chairman at the beginning of the year, he took necessary steps for keeping the port water area free from robbery.
“As part of the steps, I called coordination meetings for strengthening the monitoring activities in the port water area. I also called a separate meeting with Coast Guard as they are the key responsible for monitoring activities,” he added.
The CPA chairman expressed his firm commitment to continue the achievement and said PCA has already strengthened the supervision activities through Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System (VTMIS).
The supervision activities have been extended up to Kutubdia waters under Cox’s Bazar district, he added.