Bangladesh and the Netherlands have explored cooperation in shipbuilding and logistics, focusing on expanding maritime industrial capacity, strengthening supply chain efficiency and advancing sustainable transport systems through technical collaboration.
Bangladesh’s shipbuilding sector is expanding its role in meeting domestic inland water transport demand while increasing export capacity, with discussions focusing on how international technical cooperation can support the next phase of growth, according to the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) .
These issues were discussed at a meeting with a Netherlands delegation led by Netherlands Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Koos Dijkstra, accompanied by senior experts from Nestra B.V., a company specialising in sustainable transport and logistics.
The meeting was chaired by BIDA Executive Member Air Commodore (retd) Md Shahrarul Huda, with participation from the Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA), which oversees coordination of infrastructure investment between government and private sector, Maheshkhali Integrated Development Authority, responsible for integrated development planning in the Maheshkhali region, and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, the national agency responsible for developing and managing economic zones and facilitating investment.
Discussions focused on expanding shipbuilding and maintenance capacity, improving ship recycling practices in line with international standards and strengthening the use of maritime, coastal and inland waterways for cargo transport.
Participants also reviewed ways to enhance connectivity between ports and inland destinations to reduce transport time and logistics costs, alongside potential cooperation in technical training, research and knowledge exchange in the maritime sector.
The Bangladesh side highlighted prospects for developing smart and green logistics systems, with emphasis on improving efficiency, connectivity and sustainability across maritime and transport infrastructure through coordinated institutional engagement.
