Japan donates 5 patrol boats to Navy

Japan has handed over five patrol boats to the Bangladesh Navy under the Official Security Assistance (OSA) as part of efforts to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries.

This is the first OSA project for Bangladesh, which was decided by the government of Japan as the OSA FY2023 project, said the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

This aims to assist the Bangladesh Navy operating in the Bay of Bengal by enhancing its operational capabilities for monitoring, surveillance and disaster relief through the provision of the patrol boats.

Through this assistance, it is expected to contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of maritime security not only in the Bay of Bengal but also in the Indo-Pacific region.

Bangladesh is located on the Bay of Bengal, which lies along vital sea lanes for Japan, and is a strategic partner of Japan, Tokyo said.

The ceremony was held at BNS Nirvik, located in Chattogram, on July 2.
Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shimada Tomoaki, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi, and Defence Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Brigadier General AKM Shamsul Islam were present.