Visakhapatnam: Secretary General of BIMSTEC Indra Mani Pandey has underscored the need for strengthening maritime cooperation among member states to build a connected, resilient, and prosperous Bay of Bengal region. He stated that strengthening maritime cooperation is essential for achieving these goals and emphasized the conclave’s role in aligning strategic priorities and accelerating joint action to advance BIMSTEC’s vision of regional integration.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the BIMSTEC Secretary General made these remarks during the closing session of the 2nd BIMSTEC Ports Conclave in Visakhapatnam, India. The conclave, hosted by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority under India’s Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, concluded on Tuesday, with delegations from the seven BIMSTEC member states, including Bangladesh, participating.
The event, themed ‘Navigating the Future: Blue Economy, Innovation and Sustainable Partnerships’, aimed to enhance regional maritime connectivity, sustainable port operations, and trade facilitation. Key areas of focus included promoting public-private partnerships in maritime projects, harmonizing customs and logistics for port efficiency, catalyzing cruise tourism, and advancing digitization and low-carbon logistics within BIMSTEC ports.
Participants welcomed India’s proposal to establish a BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Maritime Transport, which is envisioned to be a hub for research, training, and best practices in green and resilient maritime logistics for the region. The conclave reiterated the implementation of the BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation (AMTC), adopted during the 6th BIMSTEC Summit earlier this year, as a significant milestone for facilitating efficient and harmonized maritime trade across the region.
The conclave also discussed establishing institutional mechanisms such as a BIMSTEC Maritime Business Forum, a Network of Maritime Think Tanks, and a BIMSTEC Ports Communication System to enhance digital connectivity and policy coordination among regional ports. To improve trade facilitation, the conclave called for a regional single-window clearance system and the negotiation of a BIMSTEC Trade Facilitation Agreement, recognizing the vital role of multimodal connectivity for landlocked and underserved areas.
Secretary General Pandey proposed making the BIMSTEC Ports Conclave a regular platform to sustain dialogue and deepen maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal. He affirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to working closely with member states for a secure and developed region.
BIMSTEC, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, is focused on deepening cooperation in connectivity, trade, investment, and the blue economy, positioning the Bay of Bengal as a hub for regional growth and integration. Bangladesh, as an active member, emphasized the importance of regional port connectivity to boost intra-regional trade, economic growth, and people-to-people ties in the Bay of Bengal region, aligning with Bangladesh’s Blue Economy strategy and Vision 2041.