Experts call for India-Bangladesh cooperation on unresolved Bay of Bengal zones
A maritime expert says Dhaka and New Delhi must strengthen cooperation to manage overlapping jurisdictions in the Bay of Bengal, as Bangladesh accelerates port modernisation and builds on recent gains in coastal security.
Maritime specialists say India and Bangladesh will need closer coordination to manage outstanding jurisdictional complications in the Bay of Bengal, despite a 2014 UN tribunal ruling that settled the countries' maritime boundary dispute.
The tribunal awarded Bangladesh 19,467 sq km of the 25,602 sq km disputed area, a decision both countries accepted. But experts say "grey areas" remain within the agreed boundaries where Bangladesh has authority over the seabed while India retains jurisdiction over the water column, says Th Hindu.
Maritime expert Joshua Alexander, who worked on maritime issues with the Bangladeshi government from 2009 to 2021, said the boundaries agreed upon are "not really simple." He said the disconnect makes management difficult without cooperation, noting that Bangladesh cannot approve seabed construction such as oil platforms without considering India's jurisdiction above.
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Alexander said the two countries have yet to establish a framework for operating in these resource-rich zones.
During the years Sheikh Hasina was in power, Bangladesh strengthened security near Chittagong port, reducing piracy incidents that once made it one of the world's most insecure ports in 2006. The Bangladesh Navy has cooperated with India and the United States over the past five or six years to "monitor and respond" to piracy along the coastline, he said.
Bangladesh's interim government has accelerated efforts to modernise the country's ports. Alexander welcomed the decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal at Chittagong port to UAE-based DP World, saying Bangladesh has the right as a sovereign state to use its ports optimally.
He credited the previous government for improving security but said Dhaka should plan for the next half-century, including preparing for autonomous vessels and ships requiring specialised security.
Chief Adviser of the interim government, Prof. Mohammed Yunus, has described Bangladesh as the "only guardian of the ocean." He said Bangladesh could provide access to the Bay of Bengal for India's northeastern region, which he described as "landlocked," through ports such as Chittagong and Matarbari.
