The Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries at Chittagong University has formally introduced what they claim to be is the first fully integrated map of the country’s maritime territory.
A team from the institute led by its Director Dr Shahadat Hossain handed over the Bangla and English versions of the maritime map to CU Vice-Chancellor Anwarul Azim Arif and Pro-VC Dr Ifthekhar Uddin Chowdhury at their respective offices yesterday. Saidur Rahman Chowdhury, leader of the map implementation team, and Mohammed Jahedur Rahman Chowdhury, a teacher at the institute, were also present.
The maritime map titled “Bangladesher Somuddro Prodesh” (Maritime Province of Bangladesh) was published after getting the landmark judgement of the International Arbitral Tribunal, said Saidur.
In the map, around 121,110sq-km was recorded against the Bangladesh maritime border; as well as 24,077sq-km of ten meters deep inlet, coastal water and river estuary; 42,007sq-km of 10 to 200 meter of neutral continental shelf of sea; and 44,383sq-km of deep sea area of 200 to 2100 meters deep, which is the largest portion in the deep sea border comprising about 36.6%.
The rest of the 10,644sq-km under the continental shelf was out of the exclusive economic zone, Saidur said.
Although the country already had a navigation chart for operating vessels on the sea, the latest is a fully integrated map where different information such as the locations of resources areas in the sea has also been identified, he said.
Saidur expressed hopes that the map would help professionals to get their required information, adding that the maritime map would be supplied to different government offices including the Prime Minister’s Office before Eid.
The map will also be available at mapsnmaps.blogspot.com, Saidur said. However, the official authority for preparing maps in the country is the Geological Survey of Bangladesh under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.
