In his opening speech, the chief guest highlighted the need to establish a ‘National Hydrographer’ as an independent hydrographic authority at the national level like other maritime nations of the world. He mentioned that the National Hydrographer will work as the coordinating and accountable authority for the overall hydrographic activities of Bangladesh. Such an initiative will strengthen maritime security by ensuring safe navigation and movement of commercial and other seagoing vessels at sea. It will also play an important role in blue economy activities and coastal zone management. The progress, achievements and future plans of various hydrographic activities of the participating countries were presented at the conference. In addition, the conference discussed in detail the issues of mutual coordination, technical cooperation and training support in hydrographic activities among the countries of the North Indian Ocean region.
The ‘North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission’ established in 2002 is one of the 15 regional commissions included in the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Its activities are carried out across the North Indian Ocean region from the Andaman Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Representatives of the member states of the Commission, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, as well as associate countries, Australia, France, Oman, Mauritius, Seychelles, the United Kingdom and the United States, participated in this conference. In addition, high-level representatives of various international organizations and hydrographic-related commercial organizations, including Russia, Malaysia and Sudan, attended as observer countries.
It is worth noting that Bangladesh is serving as the chairman of the North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission for the term 2025-2027.
