Staff Reporter:
Global shipping and logistics company Maersk Line has expressed interest in making direct investments in Bangladesh’s shipbuilding industry.
The possibility of investment in the ship recycling sector was also discussed at a meeting with Commerce, Industry and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir in Dhaka on Saturday.
Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Christian Brix Møller and AP Moller Singapore Pte Ltd Managing Director Rene Pil Pedersen attended the meeting at the minister’s residence.
At the meeting, the commerce minister urged Maersk to expand its investment into Bangladesh’s ship recycling industry alongside shipbuilding.
“Maersk Line operates a large fleet of vessels worldwide. Therefore, Bangladesh could emerge as a promising hub not only for building new vessels but also for environmentally sound and internationally compliant recycling of the company’s old vessels,” Muktadir said.
The meeting noted that Bangladesh has long-standing experience and potential in both shipbuilding and ship recycling.
Attracting major international investment in the two sectors could help accelerate industrialisation and unlock greater potential in the country’s blue economy, it said.
AP Moller-Maersk Group’s Head of Business Development, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Vivek Sharma, Maersk Bangladesh Ltd Country Director (Public Affairs) Khalid Mustafiz Gaffar, and Royal Danish Embassy Senior Adviser for Trade, Investment and Danida Business Samina Ahsan Shahrokh were also present at the meeting.
