Today is the 56th birthday of the Bangladesh Marine Academy

Bangladesh Marine Academy’s 56^th Birthday today

I REMEMBER MARINE ACADEMY JULDIA CHITTAGONG

May 11, 2017

By Mubashir Ahmed (Khan)   2E

I belong to the 2nd Batch of the Academy, so about five decades ago, I was Engineering cadet at this Institution.  The Academy started functioning in September 1962. Its first name was Mercantile Marine Academy but soon after it became Marine Academy.  Once a quiz competition was held at the Academy ( I was junior cadet then ), a question was put to the participating cadets, “who laid the foundation stone of the Academy?” The answer was, “nobody.”  So no such ceremony of the stone laying of this Institution had ever been held.  The first Commandant of the Academy was Commodore  M Asif Alavi.  The faculty staff included Commander M A Ansari, Head of the Engineering Department. He was also known as Chief Engineer. Mr. Aqil Quraishi (ex-chief engineer, merchant navy) was Engineering Lecturer. His designation at the Academy was that of Second Engineer.  Mr. Aqil Quraishi, later on, retired as Engineer Surveyor and Chief Examiner of Engineers in Karachi. It is interesting to note that in the early years of the Academy, merchant ship’s ranks were used for the professional staff members. In addition to Chief Engineer and Second Engineer, there was one Chief Officer also. He was Captain Nazar Hussain Shah, the Head of the Nautical Department.   During our cadetship period, Captain Mukri Joined the Academy to replace  Nazar Hussain Shah who took command of the newly acquired Vessel M V Abasin owned by the National Shipping Corporation of Pakistan. Late Noorul Amin (Education Officer) taught us Physics and later on Abdul Hakim also joined the Academy as Education Officer.  He taught Physics and Maths to cadets.  There was a Scottish Lecturer Captain Watkinson who taught at the Academy for about two and a half years.  I remember the farewell lunch given in his honor and the presents from the cadets when he was leaving for Scotland. Captain Watkinson was Extra Master and taught Navigation and Seamanship to the Nautical Cadets. He always wore white shirt and pant (not uniform) and would come to the Academy two/ three days a week by boat. On other weekdays he probably performed some other official duties related to shipping affairs.

Lt. Commander Asrarullah was Head of the Education Department.   In addition to giving lectures, he was responsible for the day to day affairs of the cadets. Lt. Commander Asrarullah had an excellent memory and a good sense of humor.  He would come to his office early in the morning, and his breakfast would be brought to him later on.  The Late night also, he could be seen sitting in his office doing work.  Captain N H Shah would call Asrarullah Sahib as “Headmaster.”

Now I shall give some details of how I managed to join the Academy as a cadet. I was a student of BSc (Honours) in Mathematics at Dacca (now Dhaka) University and had completed my first year of study. Before this, I had come to know about the establishment of the Mercantile Marine Academy in Chittagong.  In fact, Commodore M Asif Alavi had come to Dacca (Dhaka) University to give a lecture. I was also among the audience students.  He introduced himself as the Commandant of Marine Academy and at the end of the lecture, he answered questions put to him by the students. ( Here the readers of this article might be curious to know that being a Pashto-speaking Pathan belonging to the North of Pakistan/Peshawar, how I had landed up at Dhaka University in the first place. I passed my Intermediate Examination from Islamia College Peshawar in 1962. It was called FSc in West Pakistan/now Pakistan. It’s equivalent in East Pakistan/now Bangladesh was known as ISc. Under the Federal Government of Pakistan, an Interviewing Student Exchange Programme had been started in 1961. Under this Programme, 20 students would be selected from West Pakistan/Pakistan to study under scholarship in different universities of East Pakistan/Bangladesh. Similarly, every year 20 students would be sent from Bangladesh to do high degree courses in Pakistan. I was selected under this Scheme for BSc Honours though I was keen for BSc Engineering. BSc/MSc path was not satisfying for me so joining the Academy seemed to be a better option for my future career. The opportunity was there, and by the grace of God Almighty, I successfully availed it.

At Dhaka University, there were other students also who had applied for admission to the Academy.  They were Mr. Hussain Imam and Mr. Faiz Ahmad Biswas, both from the Chemistry Department.  Other applicants, I came to were Qazi Kamaluddin, C F Zaman, and Qamrul Azam Ansari.  The written examination was held at Dhaka College (near New Market). There were four papers, i.e. Maths, Physics, English and General Knowledge.  I was the only candidate who appeared in this examination by West Pakistan domicile.  The Marine Academy policy was to select 21 cadets from West Pakistan and 21 from Purbo Pakistan. The candidates who passed the written examination were called for interview in Dhaka.  The Interview team was headed by the Commandant, Commodore M Asif Alavi. The other members were Commander M A Ansari and Lt. Commander Asrarullah.  I remember well when Lt. Commander Asrarullah came out of the Interview room and called my name.  I still remember the questions put to me by the Commandant, M A Ansari, and answers given by me.  The interview went well.  The last candidate to be interviewed was late Jehangir Habib.  After the interviews had been over, the Commandant assembled all candidates and delivered a speech. He had excellent command over English and would never miss any opportunity to give speech.  It was his way of visiting educational institutions throughout Pakistan ( East and West Wings) and giving speeches to students.

The list of selected candidates (2nd Batch) came in the newspapers.  We also received letters from the Academy with instructions and date of arrival at the Academy.  Before joining the Academy, I had the lucky opportunity of meeting in Dhaka, three cadets of the 1st Batch.  These were Captain Belayet Hussain, Captain Zahiruddin Mahmud, and M T Siddique.  I got useful information from them about life in the Academy and merchant navy career.  Myself, Hussain Imam, Faiz Ahmad Biswas and Qamrul Azam almost together made preparations for our journey to Chittagong for reporting at the Academy.  These gentlemen deposited money with me to book second class berths for four of us in the train from Dhaka to Chittagong.  It was at about 10 pm, on the 30th of September 1963 that our train journey started.  C F Zaman, Qazi Kamaluddin, Sultan Ahmad Taufiq and Aminul Haq were also traveling with us in another compartment of the train. We reached Chittagong next day in the morning and met other cadets at the Rail Station.  We were taken in groups in the Academy’s vehicle to the jetty and then by boat to the Academy.  It was an almost afternoon that we were finally at the Academy.  All cadets of the 2nd Batch were gathered in rows in front of the Cadets Block and Lt. Commander Asrarullah came out of his office.  I was surprised to note that he addressed each cadet by his name.  He welcomed the new cadets and gave some verbal instructions.  We were then handed over to our seniors.  I was placed in Mizzen Top.  Late Salahuddin was Cadet Captain and late Ali Sarwar, the Leading Cadet of our Division.  (Ali Sarwar passed away recently in Karachi. May his soul rest in peace. Amen). It is interesting to note here that our seniors were Engineering cadets only.  During the summer holidays, it was decided by the Academy management that the 1st Batch Nautical Cadets should join ships instead of coming to the Academy for the second year of study.  However, this exercise was done only once.  Later on, both Nautical and Engineering cadets would study for two years (four terms) in the Academy.  We juniors did not get tough time or severe ragging from our seniors as they did not themselves have the experience of such things. During out time, the Academy was in some infancy, and many facilities were nonexistent.

There was no swimming pool.  There was no cinema or television and no overhead projector.  The Academy did not have even photocopiers. There was one cyclostyle machine for printing sketches and exam papers.  Tape Recorder was something rare, and the Academy did not have it. The computer was not known, and video had not been invented then.  For recreation, there was one three band radio in the smoke room.  A record player came later on.  The indoor games consisted of table tennis, carom boards and playing cards only. Sports facilities were however ample.  Cadets played football, volleyball, badminton, softball and basketball on a regular basis.  Cricket was played on weekends. Some of the cadets were excellent players. Every cadet has involved actively in boat handling, sailing, and rowing. There was no tennis court on the Academy premises at that time.

The Academy was located on the other bank of Karnafully River. There was no bridge on the River so naturally going from the Academy to Coal Depot jetty on the other side of the River was by boat.  The Academy had two boats which were at the mooring almost in the middle of the River. One was Lifeboat, also known as Sindbad.  The other boat was called Kingfisher.  The Academy Jetty was under construction; therefore the short distance between Riverbank and boats was covered by sampan.  The Jetty had severely being damaged by cyclone before our joining. The construction work on the jetty continued during our stay and had almost completed by our passing out in July 1965. However, finishing touches remained to do. By this time, the boats could easily come alongside the Jetty and sampan service was no longer required. Slightly before our passing out, The Academy acquired a new boat. It was built at Narayanganj and named Noorjehan.  Lt. Commander Asrarullah told us that the new boat had cost the Academy one lac eighteen thousand (1.18.000) rupees (takas). It was a huge amount of money at that time. Also, the Academy had three more boats also. One (with no name) was used by the cadets for rowing practice in Karnafully River.  The other two sailing boats would be kept in the nearby pond for the sailing exercise of cadets.

The Chittagong Airport was located just opposite the Academy on the other side of Karnafully. With the help of binoculars, we could easily see the taking off and landing of aircraft on the runway.  Also watching merchant ships passing near the Academy while leaving or entering Chittagong Port used to be something we enjoyed. I remember one day when M V Safina-e-Arab with Hajis ( pilgrims) on board had left Chittagong Port and was bound for Jeddah. The Ship was well decorated with flags. There were other cargo cum passenger ships which regularly ran between Karachi and Chittagong. These were M V Shams, M V Rustom, and M V Ocean Energy. These vessels would carry pilgrims also from Karachi and Chittagong to Jeddah during Haj season. It was due to the personal effort and excellent public relations skill of Lt. Commander Asrarullah that the Academy cadets would travel onboard these ships between Chittagong and Karachi free of charge. However, these cadets would not take mere passengers. On board, the Nautical Cadets would do chipping and painting, also helping the watch-keeping officer on Bridge. The Engineering cadets would spend four to six hours in the Engine Room doing watch or helping the day work engineer of the ship. I remember well that on completion of the first year, I came to Karachi along with other fellow cadets on board M V Rustom. After passing out in 1965, I sailed to Karachi on board M V Ocean Energy.

The Marine Academy, Juldia, Chittagong – A Brief History

August 10, 2016

By Captain Khairul Anam, 9N

For the information of all Bangladeshi Mariners who might not have been aware of some basic maritime facts, I quote below some information on history of Marine Academy situated in Juldia, Chittagong as sourced from Wikipedia and also the Marine Academy website:

“World scenario was changing fast after the WWII (1939–46). Pakistan along with East Bengal (Bangladesh) became independent in 1947 from the British rule. Thereafter, the then Pakistan Government looked into developing various industrial training facilities. As such a scheme for establishing a Marine Academy beside Bay of Bengal had been sanctioned in 1952. Juldia Point (valleys of Juldia-Rangadia) at the Karnaphuly river-mouth at Bay of Bengal was chosen for the planned academy. Interesting to note that the reason was to create a ‘ship-like environment’ due to geographical location the Juldia Point was considered as it was almost like a ship but not floating! Such suitable facility/location was unique in the country and was not available from Suez to South-East Asian countries except India. (Project Plan – Development of Marine Academy, Phase – II [1973-1980]).

Building basic infrastructure commenced. The establishment budget was Taka 31.19 lakhs in 1952, then increased to Taka 53 lakhs in 1959 and finally to Taka 58.3 lakhs in 1961. The initial project was completed with the aim of training 22 Nautical Cadet Officers and 22 Marine Engineering Cadet Officers. The new-built ‘Mercantile Marine Academy’ went into functioning from 3 September 1962.

Afterwards, during our Great Liberation War 1971 the then Pakistan Government shifted the Academy’s function to Karachi leaving this Academy abandoned. Immediately after liberation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman resumed it as Marine Academy with appointing Capt. (Merchant Marine) M L Rahman as the Commandant (first Bangalee Commandant). Bangabandhu also took a project titled “Development of Marine Academy (1973-1980)” and could raise the Academy at the forefront of maritime professional excellence in South Asia.

The campus is located in a beautiful picturesque surrounding on the lush-green hills and valleys of Juldia, Chittagong on the east bank of river Karnaphuly. This is 20 kilometres south of the Chittagong city.

TIME LINE: 1952 – 1972

1952 Government took the decision of establishment of a Marine Academy at Chittagong.

1962 Mercantile Marine Academy was established under Colombo Plan; commenced functioning from 3 September 1962.

1971 Pakistan Government shifted the Academy at Karachi leaving MMA abandoned.

1972 Bangabandhu started it as “Marine Academy” and appointed Capt. M L Rahman as the first Bangalee Commandant.”

It is clear from the brief history of Marine Academy, Chittagong that it commenced functioning as Mercantile Marine Academy from its inception on 3 September 1962. When I joined the Marine Academy in October 1970, all the official documents were in the name of Mercantile Marine Academy with the letters MMA contained within its logo on some documents, educational materials etc. Later when I returned to the Academy with my Bangladeshi batch mates in the middle of 1972, it was called Marine Academy, Chittagong but also called Marine Academy, Bangladesh at some places. Marine Academy was closed from mid-1971 to mid-1972 due to the liberation war so we sat idle at home for a year.

When our liberation war ended in December 1971, Pakistan had already started its own temporary Academy at Haji Camp Karachi under the name of Pakistan Marine Academy. I don’t know when our Academy changed its name to Bangladesh Marine Academy – probably some people in our Academy wanted to have the Pakistani culture continued in the way how Pakistan Marine Academy was named and maybe changed the name of our Academy to Bangladesh Marine Academy in the same way Pakistanis called their Academy – there might have been some fascination by a section of people or mariners towards following Pakistani trends, I do not know! Otherwise why such a change when the Academy was already officially called “Marine Academy, Chittagong” and the Academy logo still has the words “Marine Academy Bangladesh” inserted within it – see logo reproduced from the web – it was initially never called Bangladesh Marine Academy or BMA.

So one can see from the above information on our alma mater that it had a deep rooted connection with the very sweet name of “Juldia”, even from before it was established – ie from the very planning stage in 1952. All our incoming posts from the loved ones during our Academy life, the Post Office (PO) was clearly stated as Juldia on the envelopes. How we can now disassociate ourselves with such a lovely place situated in the valley of Juldia – a tranquil place called Juldia – where we had spent the best two years of our lives!

No wonder why Juldia is so close to my heart and will remain so for ever. Juldia was my love, soil of Juldia gave me shelter when I ran away from the Academy under Pakistani oppression in March 1971, Juldia gave me a footing in building my career, Juldia is my life! How can I forget you my love?

By the way, this is the official logo currently used by both Marine Academy, Bangladesh and AABMA on their official websites. So, where has the acronym BMA come from in the context of Marine Academy situated in Juldia?

Marine Academy Commandants Roster

1. Commodore M.A. Alavi, S.K., P.N.                                               09.08.1962 – 17.06.1965
2. Commodore S.K. Salimi, S.Q.A., P.N.                                           26.07.1965 – 25.10.1965
3. Commander M.A. Ansari, P.N.                                                    25.10.1965 – 11.02.1966
4. Commodore M.A. Alavi, S.K., P.N.                                                12.02.1966 – 18.10.1966
5. Captain R.U. Khan, T.Q.A., P.N.                                                    18.10.1966 – 3.5.1969
6. Commodore S.M. Anwar, S.K., P.N.                                              26.05.1969 – 13.11.1971
7. Captain M.L. Rahman                                                                    06.01.1072 – 17.12.1972
8. Captain M.A. Khan, P.S.N, B.N.                                                     18.12.1972 – 20.05.1974
9. Captain M.A. Letty, D.S.O., Dsc, RD, RNR                                    21.05.1974 – 20.05.1976
10. Cdr. Dennis Gell, R.N. (Retd)                                                         21.05.1976 – 20.03.1977
11. Captain F. Rahman Chowdhury                                                   21.03.1977 – 04.10.1977
12. Captain M.A. Jalil                                                                             05.10.1977 – 30.12.1977
13. Captain E.J. Coden, AMBIM                                                           31.12.1977 – 31.12.1979
14. Captain M. Zakaria                                                                          01.01.1980 – 20.04.1985
15. Captain M.L. Rahman                                                                     27.04.1985 – 30.09.1990
16. Captain M. Azizul Haque (Extra master)                                      31.10.1990 – 31.01.1995
17. Captain M. Helaluddin                                                                     01.02.1995 – 27.10.2004
18. Captain Amirul Islam                                                                      28.10.2004 – 29.12.2004
19. Captain Kazi Ali Imam                                                                      30.12.2004 – 29.12.2004
20. Captain Zahir Uddin Ahmed N.D., NDC, PC, BN                          31.10.2006 – 10.08.2008
21. Commodore Zahir Uddin Ahmed N.D., NDC, PC, BN                  11.08.2008 – 24.11.2008
22. Captain AMMM Aurangzeb Chowdhury (G) PSC, BN                24.11.2008 – 17.02.2009
23. Commodore AMMM Aurangzeb Chowdhury (G) PSC, BN             18.02.2009 – 24.03.2009
24. Commodore Maqsumul Quader (C) NDC AFWC, PSC, BN             24.03.2009 – 07.01.2010
25. Sajid Hussain   DSc, MSc, IEng , FIMarEST                                    15.10.2009 –

DEVELOPMENT OF SHIPPING IN BANGLADESH

by F R Chowdhury

By the grace of Allah, the merciful, Bangladeshi mariners are now all over the world. They are not only sailing on ships but many of them are employed ashore in responsible position ashore in many countries. This is perhaps the biggest success story for any single professional community of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi mariners have every reason to celebrate their success. Recently our marine community in Singapore arranged for a celebration in which many community members from other places also joined them. I am so delighted to know that our mariners in North America (USA and Canada) also decided to make their first big get-together. It is on their request that I write this article.

The big population of Bangladesh is its greatest asset. Economic development and progress depend on education and training of the population so that it can turn out the man-power resource into employable work-force at home and abroad. So far we have exported lot of unskilled cheap man-power to middle-east Arab countries and Malaysia. However, by now we also got doctors, engineers, lawyers, accountants and teachers employed in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, USA and Canada. Mariners are perhaps the only professional community in Bangladesh whose members abroad outnumber those back home. In a place like USA and Canada where there is no room for unskilled people, we have our members in such strength that we are proudly celebrating this get-together. What an amazing achievement!

After 44 years of independence, I think it is important that we write and talk about the development of shipping in Bangladesh. Otherwise with generation gap, it will perhaps be a totally lost history. We must take inspiration from our seniors and leave behind something for our future generations to work on. We will probably become lost if we do not respect and remember those who laid the foundations. The community would have never reached this position unless in the early days of Bangladesh we had a sizeable domestic fleet. Remember, foreign shipping want ready-made products that is certified officers. How can you have certified officers unless domestic fleet provide the mandatory training berth? So our discussion will centre on development of shipping in Bangladesh in its early days.

We cannot write about development of shipping unless we talk about the marine academy. Late Sabur Khan of Khulna (those days communication minister of Pakistan) and late Fazlul Qader Chowdhury of Chittagong (those days speaker of the national assembly of Pakistan and acting president during president’s trips abroad) had lot of contributions for establishing this unique institute in the then East Pakistan. However, for some unknown reason, the project was left incomplete towards the end of 1960. It was after the cyclone that Governor Azam Khan was passing through river Karnaphuli when he noticed some abandoned structures at Juldia. He came to know about it and took it as his personal responsibility to make sure that the first marine academy starts operating there. May Allah grant him jannat because of his initiative we finally got our marine academy. Commodore Mohammed Asif Alavi, SK, PN who was the Naval Officer in charge (NOIC), Chittagong became the first commandant of the marine academy. He was a Dufferin trained officer and knew well about the requirements of a merchant marine training institute. Marine academy had the right and perhaps the best guidance at the time of its birth.

In 1963 when I joined a merchant ship as a cadet, most of the shipping companies were Karachi based. Only two ships owned by Pakistan Steam Navigation of Mr. A. K. Khan were registered in Chittagong. They were “Fatehabad” and “Jahangirabad”. Mr. Hussein was their general manager in Chittagong. I joined the Pan-Islamic which was the largest shipping company in Pakistan at that time. The state owned National Shipping Corporation (NSC) was probably set up in 1964.

The independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26-March-1971 but the liberation struggle continued until 16-December-1971 when we finally got the country back from the occupying Pakistani forces. Dhaka was a provincial capital that overnight became national capital. Under dynamic leadership of Mr. Tajuddin Ahmed, prime minister, Bangladesh set-up its national administration. Whether we have ocean-going ships or not, it became an immediate necessity to open our seaports to receive the help and assistance sent by friendly countries. Mr. Kibria was made the chairman of Chittagong port and Mr. Quddus was appointed as port director, Mongla as it was still a secondary port directly under the ministry. On the request of Mr. Kibria, I joined the port of Chittagong that was damaged badly by bombing and had several wrecks and mines. We worked under the guidance of a great person named Capt. K. Mehboob (Pakistani) and made the channel navigable. May Allah grant him Jannat. I still remember Norwegian tanker “Sarita” bound for Singapore from Persian Gulf responded to UN appeal and diverted for Chittagong. That was the first ship with crude oil to arrive Bangladesh. It stayed even south of Kutubdia. I had to go there with a flotilla of small coastal tankers to bring oil. The Russian government offered salvage assistance that was accepted by Bangladesh. Capt. Shafat Ahmed was originally appointed as the coordinator with Russian Salvage team but later I took over as the Coordinator. In about 7 months time the salvage team cleared Chittagong of all wrecks and mines. I also had to train the first batch of marine pilots for Chittagong port before I could be released for fulfilment of my career. The grateful nation still remembers how Mr. Kibria and Mr. Quddus worked hard to get the ports back to their normal operation.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to Bangladesh on 10^th January 1972. Capt. QABM Rahman knew him well. Capt. Rahman utilised his connection not for personal gains but for the cause of shipping in Bangladesh. Merely a month passed that Mujib returned to Bangladesh, the Presidential Order was issued creating state owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation with left behind assets of NSC in Bangladesh. Capt. Rahman became the first chairman and managing director of BSC. It is time that I talk about this dynamic person. Admiral Ahsan, the then governor of East Pakistan recognised the talents of Capt. Rahman and made him the chairman of East Pakistan Shipping Corporation (now known as Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation). I believe at the age of 33 or 34 he headed a state owned enterprise that had the largest number of employees in Pakistan. The present BIWTC still bears the touches of Capt. Rahman’s genii.

Capt. Rahman was not only chairman and managing director of the newly formed BSC, he was also an adviser to the prime minister on all maritime matters.  On his advice the department of shipping was created as the nerve centre of our maritime administration with Capt. M. Shafi as its first director general. During the period of occupation, our farmers suffered a lot as they could not engage in cultivation of rice crop. We suffered a huge shortage of food. Food grain started arriving in large ships most of which could not enter Chittagong port. A task group (BTTG) was created with Capt. Shafi as its head. At Chittagong Mr. Shamsuddin Khan acted as the coordinator. Together they ensured that UN-chartered mini-bulkers and UN donated trucks were properly utilized to distribute the food and save the hungry people of Bangladesh. This is another piece of history now almost forgotten.

I have to now talk about another Dufferin trained person named Mr. Q.M.S. Zaman who perhaps after obtaining Second Mate’s Certificate joined as Hoogly River Pilot in Calcutta (now Kolkata). After partition he came to East Pakistan and was later working with NSC in the commercial department. After the departure of Capt. Sayeed for Singapore Mr. Zaman became the commercial director of NSC. Readers may know that Capt. Sayeed was the founder and first chairman and managing director of Neptune Orient Line (NOL) of Singapore. When Mr. Zaman returned to Bangladesh, he was made the chairman and managing director of BSC.

Bangladesh Shipping Corporation was fortunate enough to have three outstanding personalities to lead the corporation in its early days. They were Capt. Rahman, Capt. Shafi and Mr. Q.M.S. Zaman. These professional giants received full support of two great ministers. The ministers were General M.A.G. Osmani and Admiral M.H. Khan (another Dufferin trained person). There was no bureaucratic interference. During their period shipping in Bangladesh flourished in a manner that can be truly called “dream come true”. We even got three bonuses in a year – not the Eid bonus but genuine bonus out of profits.

Shipping cannot sustain the growth without other supporting structures and activities. The newly formed department of shipping played an important role to provide the cover of regulatory activities. Capt. M.L. Rahman played an important part as principal officer of the marine department in Chittagong. In addition to his duties, he was also made the first Bangladeshi commandant of the marine academy. His leadership and guidance saved our marine academy.

It was not only master mariners but also marine engineers who played their role in shipping sector. Mr. Zakaria Khan Majlis was probably working with the renowned classification society Lloyds Register. Mr. Sakhawat Hussain was also working ashore. But the man I have to talk about is Mr. Zahedur Rahman. I saw this great man working day and night to keep our ships operational. He worked initially as an engineer superintendent of BSC. Then he also joined Lloyds Register. LR was kind enough to give his services on loan to the government to appoint him as technical director of BSC. Later he returned to LR and retired from there. I am so proud to talk about younger Sakhawat (ex-academy) and sarwar (prantik) who came into ship-building and repair industry. They have added a new dimension to our maritime sector. Many of our marine engineers are abroad in very responsible positions. Our marine community abroad are our pride as they bring name and fame to our maritime sector. At this stage, I remember a colleague of mine Mr. Salahuddin, a patriotic Bangladeshi and a good marine engineer. He could have many jobs abroad but he preferred to stay back in Bangladesh. Unfortunately his talents were never utilized fully. May Allah grant him Jannat.

During my short tenure as commandant of the marine academy, in 1977 God gave me an opportunity to attend annual review meeting of the ministry by Ziaur Rahman, the president in Bango-bhaban. I utilised the opportunity to the full context. I informed the president about the importance of the maritime sector and that of the marine academy to our national context. The president was convinced and kind enough to order immediate preparation of a development project. The UNDP-IMO-GOB master plan for development of the marine academy had its root established in that meeting.

Our mariners have successfully ventured into other business. I remember with great admiration the achievements of Abdul Awal Mintoo and Surhawardy. Hasan Quddus followed their footsteps. I have to also mention about S.M. Abdullah who made the first website directory of mariners. Later Engr. Baten in Singapore took the initiative to develop bdmariners and now we are in touch with the community and we do exchange many vital information. Surhawardy publishes famous Bangladesh Chronicle and Juldia Academy Alumni website. Our community has come a long way. Mr. Moin U Ahmed, one of our community members is now the director general of IMSO (International Mobile Satellite Organization). In the North we have Sarwar with V ships in Glasgow (Scotland), in the South we have Hannan with AMSA of Australia and back in Bangladesh we have Sajid as the commandant of the marine academy. The Bangladesh Merchant Marine Association, Nautical Institute and Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) are playing very important role in Bangladesh. I may have missed many incidents, occasions or names of individuals. It is nothing other than failure of my memory. I may please be excused.

During my brief period of service with Bangladesh Navy as a reservist, I was fortunate to work with Admiral M H Khan, Admiral Mustafa and Admiral Khurshid Alam. They were brilliant and outstanding officers. In the civil service, I came across Mr. Siddiqur Rahman, Mr. Shamsul Haq Chisty, Dr. Ekram Hossain and Mr. Mujibul Haq whose contributions in the early days of Bangladesh must never be forgotten. We have to also remember with gratitude Mr. Bernard Zagorin who was the resident representative of the UNDP at Dhaka. He was one of those who loved Bangladesh and did everything possible within his means for Bangladesh. That also included the maritime sector.

Not that everything done in the early days of Bangladesh was good. In 1983, we got a Merchant Shipping Ordinance that can best be described as rubbish. Now it has become our legacy and we cannot get rid of it. Until 1983, Bangladesh ships used to be registered under British Merchant Shipping Act of 1894 and have a Certificate of British Registry but would fly Bangladesh flag. A national law was essential but we should have got our expertise together to make something sensible. Most of the MSO of 1983 is re-written text of British-Indian Merchant Shipping Act of 1923. We must not forget that the colonial masters never wanted Indians to compete with UK-based British ship-owners. That is why it required government permission to buy and register a ship by Indians. The same provision still applies to Bangladeshis to buy and register a ship in Bangladesh. The British citizens do not require any government permission to buy or register a ship. Rules made under the MSA provide for criteria (mostly from age and quality point of view) and the ship-owners act accordingly. There are many British ships that never even come to UK in their life-time but in Bangladesh the process of registration have to be completed by bringing the ship in Bangladesh within a period of six months. It is very important that we have merchant shipping act in conformity with the needs and requirements of the time.

Life at sea is full of risks and hazards. It has its rewards as well. It gives a good salary compared to any other job in Bangladesh. Besides it gives the opportunity to see the world. Some people in Bangladesh felt very jealous of it. They got bent upon destroying this great avenue for Bangladeshi mariners. There was a time when all cadets trained in the academy got employment. They were well trained and quickly obtained professional certificates. After meeting national requirements they ventured into the wide open world which was previously dominated by Europeans and Indians. Government suddenly increased the number of cadets in the academy. Not only that, government even licensed several private academies. The outcome is sharp drop in quality of training. Cadets cannot find employment for minimum mandatory period of service for professional qualification. It is a disaster. Trained cadets are going door to door looking for jobs. On top of that I believe the government is building four more academies (Pabna, Barisal and other places). Those involved will make quick money from the project but will not face the music because by then they will be gone. Many in the administration are now accused of being corrupt and even involved in issue of forged/ fraudulent documents. Unless there is growth of national fleet, there is no sense in recruiting and training more cadets. The community should unite against enemies of the country. Let us move forward in a planned and balanced way where each sector can support the other to achieve sustainable growth.

London, 05-August-2015                                                  fazlu.chowdhury@btinternet.com

Captain F.R. Chowdhury is from the first batch of Juldia Marine Academy