Illegal fishing nets choke Chattogram Port's outer anchorage, disrupt night navigation
CPA says drives are continuing to clear remaining nets
Illegal fishing nets spread across Chattogram Port's outer anchorage and navigational channels are disrupting vessel movements, prompting many lighter vessels to wait until daylight before sailing.
Shipping operators and seafarers said stationary nets had been laid extensively across the Alpha, Bravo and Charlie anchorage areas, leaving little room for vessels to manoeuvre safely.
"There is hardly any space left for navigation. During the day, we somehow manage by following signals from the fishermen. But at night, navigation has become extremely risky," Helal Uddin Khandakar, master of a lighter vessel operating in the outer anchorage, told The Business Standard.
"After loading cargo at night, we often have to wait until daylight before sailing, which results in significant delays," he added.
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Industry insiders said the problem extended from the three anchorage areas towards Kutubdia and along the shipping channel between Patenga and Hatiya, affecting both foreign mother vessels anchored offshore and lighter vessels carrying cargo inland.
Operators alleged that fishermen frequently signal vessels to pass on particular sides of the channel to avoid damaging their nets.
Ropes securing the nets often become entangled in the propellers and rudders of lighter vessels, sometimes stalling engines and damaging propulsion systems, they said.
Removing the nets is also hazardous, as crew members may have to enter the water without specialised underwater safety equipment.
"This is not a new problem. It has existed for a long time," Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Trade Union President Khorshed Alam said.
"The actual fishing grounds are much farther offshore. Most of these are small fishing boats operating close to the shipping channel and leaving their nets in areas regularly used by commercial vessels," he added.
Amid the concerns, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) on Thursday issued a fresh nautical notice prohibiting fishing and the installation of nets within the port limits, approach channel, Merchant Ship Passage and outer anchorage.
The notice said illegal fishing, unauthorised boat movements and nets obstructing navigational channels were compromising vessel safety and increasing the risk of accidents. It warned that legal action would be taken against violators under the Chittagong Port Authority Act, 2022.
Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell Spokesperson Parvez Ahmed called for regular removal of the nets and permanent demarcation of shipping lanes with navigational buoys.
"We have repeatedly raised the issue with the CPA, but there has been little visible progress on the ground," he alleged.
Responding to the concerns, CPA Member for Harbour and Marine Commodore Ahmed Amin Abdullah said fishing was prohibited within the port's anchorage areas.
"Small fishing boats are violating the restrictions by laying fishing nets inside the anchorage and navigational channels," he said.
He said a recent joint operation by the CPA, Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy had cleared the main navigational channel.
"Drives are continuing to remove the remaining nets from the anchorage areas," he added.
