French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet on Monday underscored the strategic importance of Chattogram port and the need to enhance industrial safety standards.

"As Bangladesh's largest port, Chattogram is a focal point for major industrial safety challenges," he said reaffirming the continued commitment of France and the European Union to supporting Bangladesh in building safer and more resilient ports.

The Ambassador inaugurated the two-week "Industrial Safety" training course in collaboration with the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) in the port city, reaffirming France and the European Union's commitment to enhancing port safety and resilience in Bangladesh.

"This training programme directly supports Bangladesh's ambition to develop and secure its port infrastructure while promoting a shared culture of risk prevention that benefits both the safety of the population and the efficiency of port operations," the Ambassador said.

The training programme focuses on managing industrial risks in port areas, covering key topics such as hazard identification, risk assessment, accident scenario modelling, and determining safety distances to strengthen emergency response planning.

The initiative is being conducted under the Global Ports Safety (GPS) Project, a Team Europe initiative led by France and the European Union and implemented by Expertise France.

The project forms part of France's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the European Union's Global Gateway initiative.

The GPS Project aims to strengthen the safety, resilience, and sustainability of twelve strategic ports across eight countries in South and Southeast Asia, located along key Indo-Pacific shipping routes.

The Ambassador also wished the participants every success in the training programme and expressed his appreciation to all project partners, including the CPA, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, the National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks, and Expertise France, for their collaboration.

The training session brings together participants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, highlighting the regional dimension of the GPS Project and promoting cooperation and knowledge sharing among partner ports across the Indo-Pacific region.