Nationwide first time vessel census to begin tomorrow
The 10 day census will collect data on engine-powered vessels to build an integrated database and strengthen safety, registration and management across the country's waterways.
The nationwide data collection for the country's first-ever Vessel Census 2026 will officially begin tomorrow (20 August) under a project titled "Creation of Vessel Database and Capacity Building in Vessel Management," being implemented by the Department of Shipping under the Ministry of Shipping.
The initiative has been taken to make the country's shipping sector safer, more orderly, modern and data-driven.
The Department of Shipping and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) will jointly conduct the census to collect updated information on all engine-powered vessels operating in the country's maritime, coastal and inland waters and to create an integrated database.
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The nationwide vessel census will be conducted from 20 August to 29, 2026.
Through the census, information on the number, types, ownership and registration of vessels, along with other necessary data, will be collected.
The database prepared on the basis of the collected information will play an important role in planning, managing and ensuring the safety of the country's shipping sector, as well as in policymaking.
The census will provide a reliable, updated and comprehensive statistical picture of the country's vessel sector.
As a result, necessary data will become more readily available to make vessel registration and management activities more effective, strengthen navigational safety, improve waterway management and formulate future plans.
To ensure the successful completion of the census, vessel owners, masters, workers and other stakeholders have been requested to extend all-out cooperation to the census personnel appointed by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
All concerned have also been urged to sincerely cooperate with the Vessel Census 2026 by providing the data collectors engaged in the census with necessary and accurate information.
The first-ever Vessel Census 2026 is being considered an important and timely initiative to present an accurate picture of the country's shipping sector and make future development plans more effective and realistic.
