“50% seaborne cargoes must be carried by BSC vessels”

Sayeed Muhammad of DOT
The cabinet has approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Flag Vessels (Protection) Bill 2019.
The bill has a provision of at least 50% instead of the existing 40% of the seaborne cargoes related to Bangladesh’s foreign trade must be carried by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) flag vessels. The decision was made at the cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office yesterday, reports UNB. “As per Article 3 of the draft bill, at least 50% of the seaborne cargoes relating to the country’s foreign trade will have to be carried by vessels of BSC,” said Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam.
The draft law was placed to the cabinet as the existing Bangladesh Flag Vessels (Protection) Ordinance 1982 was promulgated during a military regime, which was declared annulled by the apex court, he said.
As per the existing ordinance, at least 40% of the sea-borne cargoes relating to foreign trade of Bangladesh shall be carried by Bangladesh flag vessels, he said, adding, the articles 6 and 7 of the ordinance were abolished in the draft law.
According to the article 8 of the draft bill, if any vessel carries goods violating the provision of the proposed law, they will be fined a maximum Tk500,000. But there is no provision of pecuniary punishment in the existing ordinance, he said.
The Cabinet Division also cleared the draft of Bangladesh EPZ Labour Bill 2019 for making the Bangladesh EPZ Labour Ordinance 2019 promulgated on January 15, into the law as it is.
The cabinet on December 3, 2018 had given approval in principle to the draft allowing trade union activities in Export Processing Zones (EPZs).
The ordinance reduced minimum membership requirement to create a workers’ welfare association to 20% in a factory in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ).