Bay of Bengal
55 companies invited in global bid for Bangladesh offshore exploration; Energy Advisor optimistic
Prime Minister’s Energy Advisor Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury has said that the international bidding for offshore oil and gas exploration will draw a huge response.
“This round, we have introduced some new aspects like linking gas price with Brent and per year cost recovery at highest 75 percent to make the bidding more attractive,” he told reporters at a press conference at Petrobangla headquarters in Dhaka on Monday.
The Energy and Mineral Resources Division organised the press conference to brief about the “Oil and Natural Gas Exploration Under Bangladesh Offshore Bidding Round 2024”, for which Petrobangla invited international oil and gas companies (IOCs).
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State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, Energy Secretary Md Nurul Alam and Petrobangla chairman Zanendra Nath Sarker also addressed the event.
The tender notice was published in local newspapers and websites of concerned government entities including Bangladeshi missions abroad on Sunday giving six months’ time until September 9, 2024 for submission of the bids.
As per the floated tender, a total of 24 offshore blocks — of which nine are shallow blocks — and 15 deep sea blocks are available for the bidding round.
The nine shallow sea blocks are SS-01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 10 and 11) and 15 deep sea blocks are DS-08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.
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The bidder, singly or in association with other companies, can bid for one or more blocks.
Contracts will be signed with the successful bidders in line with the Bangladesh Offshore Model Production Sharing Contract 2023, said the tender.
Tawfiq Elahi Chowdhury informed that so far, the bidding invitation was sent to 55 IOCs who have contacted the government as potential bidders.
He, however, averted a question on the geopolitics that might appear to be a factor in the participation of the IOCs in the bidding round.
Nasrul Hamid said it’s an open bidding and any company eligible can bid for any block. He said a pre-bid meeting will be arranged after Ramadan for the interested bidders.
Read more: Petrobangla invites offshore bidding for oil, gas exploration
Petrobangla invites offshore bidding for oil, gas exploration
Petrobangla, the oil, gas and mineral corporation, has floated the offshore bidding, inviting international oil and gas companies to explore in the Bangladesh maritime area in the Bay of Bengal
The tender, named “Oil and Natural Gas Exploration Under Bangladesh Offshore Bidding Round 2024”, was published in local newspapers and websites of concerned government entities including Bangladeshi missions abroad on Sunday giving six months time until September 9, 2024 for submission of the bids.
As per the floated tender, a total of 24 offshore blocks — of which nine are shallow blocks — and 15 deep sea blocks are available for the bidding round.
The nine shallow sea blocks are SS-01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 08, 10 and 11) and 15 deep sea blocks are DS-08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.
The bidder, singly or in association with other companies, can bid for one or more blocks.
Contracts will be signed with the successful bidders in line with the Bangladesh Offshore Model Production Sharing Contract 2023, said the tender.
Read more Cabinet body approves draft contract to invite int’l bidding for offshore gas exploration
The features of the proposed contract include full repatriation of profit, no signature bonus or royalty, uncapped attractive gas price linked with international marker, oil price to be determined on the basis of the fair market value prevailing in South and Southeast Asia.
It entails no duty for equipment and machinery imported for petroleum operations while contractor's corporate income tax liability will be borne by Petrobangla, and bank guarantee for performance of the minimum exploration program.
There will be provision for assignment of interest and share-transfer and 100 percent cost recovery with a yearly cap of 75 percent.
The contractor must have a mandatory work program consisting of 2D seismic
survey and mandatory purchase of available
2D multi-client seismic data against bidded blocks to get relief from mandatory work obligations proportionately.
They will have minimum work obligation in each of the exploration periods while biddable work program commitment over and above the mandatory program.
There will be petroleum profit sharing on the basis of R-factor with biddable upper and lower limits and option to sell contractor's share of natural gas in the domestic market to a third party, at a negotiated price, subject to Petrobangla's right of first refusal.
Read more: New PSC: Petrobangla awaits final nods to invite int’l bidding for offshore blocks
The bidder must ensure carried stake of 10 percent for state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (BAPEX) for both shallow and deep sea blocks.
The bidders’ qualification criteria include — individual or in case of joint venture at least one member — offshore daily production of at least 15,000 barrel of oil or 150 mmsc of gas. Bidders must have at least one global experience (other than home country) in the oil and gas exploration and production.
The Information Package will be available at a cost of US$ 300 or equivalent Bangladeshi taka to the interested bidders/companies.
To enable companies to assess the geological prospects of the blocks on offer, Promotional and Data Packages are available on payment basis. Promotional Packages contain Bidding Document, sample seismic sections, gravity, magnetic, geological maps. Companies are required to purchase the Promotional Package in order to qualify for bidding, said the tender.
The purchase price of the Promotional Package is US$ 10,000 or equivalent Bangladeshi taka. Purchase of Data Sales Package is optional. Several Data Sales Packages are available at different prices.
Companies interested in bidding and purchase of Promotional and Data Sales Packages may contact the Director, Production Sharing Contract, Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) Petrocentre, 3 Karan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, said the bidding tender.
Read more: Action against officials of Petrobangla companies if fail to achieve target: Nasrul
Out of options, Rohingya fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat despite soaring death toll
Across a treacherous stretch of water, the Rohingya came by the thousands, then died by the hundreds. And though they know the dangers of fleeing by boat, many among this persecuted people say they will not stop — because the world has left them with no other choice.
Last year, nearly 4,500 Rohingya — two-thirds of them women and children — fled their homeland of Myanmar and the refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh by boat, the United Nations’ refugee agency reported. Of those, 569 died or went missing while crossing the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, the highest death toll since 2014.
The numbers mean one out of every eight Rohingya who attempted the crossing never made it, the UNHCR said last week.
Yet despite the risks, there are no signs the stream of Rohingya is ebbing. On Thursday, Indonesian officials said another boat carrying Rohingya refugees landed in the country’s northern province of Aceh.
Not a good time for Rohingya repatriation, UN Resident Coordinator says
Fishermen provided food and water to 131 Rohingya, mostly women and children, who had been on board, said Marzuki, the leader of the local tribal fishing community, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.
Some passengers told officials they had been at sea since last month and their boat's engine had broken down, leaving them adrift, said Lt. Col. Andi Susanto, commander of the navy base in Lhokseumawe.
“Southeast Asian waters are one of the deadliest stretches in the world and a graveyard for many Rohingya who have lost their lives,” says Babar Baloch, UNHCR’s spokesman for Asia and the Pacific. “The rate of Rohingya who are dying at sea without being rescued — that’s really alarming and worrying.”
Inside the squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh, where more than 750,000 ethnic Rohingya Muslims fled in 2017 following sweeping attacks by Myanmar’s military, the situation has grown increasingly desperate. Not even the threat of death at sea is enough to stop many from trying to traverse the region’s waters in a bid to reach Indonesia or Malaysia.
“We need to choose the risky journey by boat because the international community has failed their responsibility,” says Mohammed Ayub, who is saving up money for a spot on one of the rickety wooden fishing boats traffickers use to ferry passengers 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) from Bangladesh to Indonesia.
Global indifference toward the Rohingya crisis has left those languishing in the overcrowded camps with few alternatives to fleeing. Because Bangladesh bans the Rohingya from working, their survival is dependent upon food rations, which were slashed last year due to a drop in global donations.
Returning safely to Myanmar is virtually impossible for the Rohingya, because the military that attacked them overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government in 2021. And no country is offering the Rohingya any large-scale resettlement opportunities.
Meanwhile, a surge in killings, kidnappings and arson attacks by militant groups in the camps has left residents fearing for their lives. And so, starving, scared and out of options, they continue to board the boats.
Ayub has lived in a sweltering, cramped shelter for more than six years in a camp where security and sanitation are scarce, and hope even scarcer. There is no formal schooling for his children, no way for him to earn money, no prospects for returning to his homeland and no refuge for his family amid spiraling gang violence.
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“Of course I understand how dangerous the boat journey by sea is,” Ayub says. “We could die during the journey by boat. But it depends on our fate. ... It’s better to choose the dangerous way even if it’s risky, because we are afraid to stay in the camps.”
Two hundred of the people who died or went missing at sea last year were aboard one boat that left Bangladesh in November. Eyewitnesses on a nearby boat told The Associated Press that the missing vessel, which was crowded with babies, children and mothers, broke down and was taking on water before it drifted off during a storm as its passengers screamed for help. It has not been seen since.
It was one of several distressed boats that the region’s coastal countries neglected to save, despite the UNHCR’s requests for those countries to launch search and rescue missions.
“When no action is taken, lives are lost,” says UNHCR’s Baloch. “If there is no hope restored in Rohingya lives either in Myanmar or in Bangladesh, there are no rescue attempts, (then) sadly we could see more desperate people dying in Southeast Asian seas under the watch of coastal authorities who could act to save lives.”
Six of Mohammed Taher’s family members were aboard the boat that vanished in November, including his 15-year-old brother, Mohammed Amin, and two of Taher’s nephews, aged 3 and 4. Their ultimate destination was Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country where many Rohingya seek relative safety.
Taher and his parents now struggle to sleep or eat, and spend their days agonizing over what became of their loved ones. Taher’s mother saw a fortune teller who said her relatives were still alive. Taher, meanwhile, dreamed that the boat made it to shore, where his relatives took refuge in a school and were able to bathe in warm water. But he remains unconvinced their journey ended so happily.
And so he has vowed to tell everyone to stay off the boats, no matter how unbearable life on land has become.
“I will never leave by boat on this difficult journey,” Taher says. “All the people who reached their destination are saying that it’s horrific traveling by boat.”
Yet such warnings are often futile. Ayub is now preparing to sell his daughter’s jewelry to help pay for his spot on a boat. While he is frightened by the stories of those who didn’t make it, he is motivated by the stories of those who did.
“Nobody would consider taking a risk by boat on a dangerous journey if they had better opportunities,” he says. “Fortunately, some people did reach their destination and got a better life. I am staying positive that Allah will save us.”
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Maritime ports asked to hoist distant cautionary signal no 1
Maritime ports of Bangladesh have been advised to hoist distant cautionary signal no. one as the deep depression over Westcentral Bay and adjoining area moved slightly north-northeastwards and now lies over the same area.
At 6 am on Monday, it was centred about 840 kms West-Southwest of Chattogram port, 800 kms West-Southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 710 kms southwest of Mongla and Payra ports, respectively, said a special Met office bulletin this morning (October 23, 2023).
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It is likely to move north-northeastwards and intensify further, added the bulletin.
Maximum sustained wind speed within 48 kms of the deep depression centre is about 50 kph rising to 60 kph in gusts or squalls.
Sea will remain rough near the deep depression centre.
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Meanwhile, all fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain closed to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.
They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea, reads the special bulletin.
Two-month fishing ban in Bay of Bengal begins today
The government-imposed two-month ban on fishing in the Bay of Bengal started from today.
The ban -- to ensure smooth breeding of fish -- will remain in force in the Bay of Bengal till July 23 and in the Sundarbans till August 31.
According to the notice issued by the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, the catching of all kinds of fish through water vessels and boats is restricted till July 23.
Also read: 65-day fishing ban in Bay begins from Wednesday
The government will provide 86 kg of rice to 12,000 fishermen each in Bagerhat district in two phases during this period.
Besides, all kinds of tourist vessels will not be allowed in the Sundarbans from June 1 to August 31 for ensuring safe breeding of the fish in the rivers and canals of the forest.
Mohammad Belayet Hossain, Forest Divisional Officer of Sundarbans East Zone, said the government earlier imposed a three-month ban on tourism in the Sundarbans and as per the decision of the government, no tourists will be allowed in the Sundarbans during this period for ensuring safe breeding of wild animals.
Bagerhat District Fisheries Officer ASM Russel, said the Fisheries Department will be strict in ensuring enforcement of this ban. Besides, drives will be conducted along the marine boundary, he said.
Cox's Bazar Airport to be closed from Saturday 7am to Sunday 7pm
Cox's Bazar Airport will remain closed from Saturday (May 13, 2023) 7am to Sunday (May 14, 2023) 7pm due to the very severe cyclonic storm Mocha in the Bay of Bengal.
However, the decision on Shah Amanat International Airport of Chattogram will be taken after assessing the situation in the morning, said Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority chairman Air Vice Marshal Mafidur Rahman.
Earlier, The Bangladesh Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee gave a direction which said that the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam of Sunday (May 14) was postponed under five boards; Chattogram board, Cumilla board, Barisal board, Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board and Technical Board.
Read More: Cyclone Mocha likely to cross Cox’s Bazar-Myanmar’s north coast by Sunday evening
The very severe cyclonic storm Mocha in east central bay and adjoining area moved north-northeastwards over the same area and was centred at 06 pm today about 930 kms south-southwest of Chattogram port, 860 kms south-southwest of Cox's Bazar port, 890 kms south-southwest of Mongla Port and 855 kms south southwest of Payra port.
Maritime ports of Cox's Bazar, Chattogram and Payra have been advised to lower local warning signal number 4 and instead hoist great danger signal number 8.
The coastal districts of Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Barishal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Borguna and their offshore islands and chars will come under great danger signal number 8.
Read More: 409 shelters prepared in Khulna as depression intensifies into Cyclone Mocha
409 shelters prepared in Khulna as depression intensifies into Cyclone Mocha
Local administration has kept 409 cyclone centres prepared for sheltering 2,73,850 people as a deep depression over the Bay turned into Cyclonic storm ‘Mocha’and it is likely to cross Bangladesh on May 14.
Khandaker Yeasir Arefin, deputy commissioner of Khulna, said the government has opened 409 cyclone shelters in the district so that people can take shelter if needed.
He said a meeting of the disaster management committee will be held at 3:30 pm today (May 11, 2023).
Abdul Karim, district relief and rehabilitation officer, said the upazila level officials were asked to remain in their respective workplaces and take precautionary measures.
Read More: Cyclone Mocha: 446 cyclone shelters ready as panic grips Bagerhat’s coastal areas
They were also asked to take steps to inform people about the danger signal through loudspeakers.
Amirul Azad, in-charge of Khulna Weather Observatory Centre, said due to the impact of cyclone ‘Mocha’ heavy rains accompanied by gusty wind may lash the district on May 13.
However, unless the direction is changed, there is no possibility of the cyclone hitting the Khulna coast, he said.
Regarding cyclone preparations, state minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman on Wednesday said , "We are acting in accordance with the SOD (Standing Orders on Disasters). I have communicated with field personnel. The forecast indicates that Cox's Bazaar is the most vulnerable. Most at risk are the low-lying areas of St. Martin Island and Teknaf.”
Read More: Cyclone Mocha looms over Bay: DAE asks farmers to harvest paddy, other crops early
Enamur Rahman said the authorities will start moving people to cyclone shelters if the cyclone danger signal reaches 5, 6 or 7.
The state minister said the army, the navy and the coastguard are also ready.
"We hope to bring down the loss of life and property to zero (if it strikes)," he said.
Low pressure area formed over Bay; Mild heat wave may continue
A low-pressure area has been formed over Southeast Bay and adjoining South Andaman Sea.
It is likely to intensify, said the Bangladesh Metrological Department on Monday.
“Mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping over Rajshahi, Khulna and Barishal divisions and Dhaka, Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalgonj, Manikgonj, Narayangonj, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Moulvibazar, Chattogram, Rangamati, Cumilla, Chandpur, Feni, Noakhali and Bandarban districts ,”said a BMD bulletin.
The heat wave may continue and spread, it said.
Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country in 24 hours from 9 am today.
Day and night temperature may rise slightly over the country during the period.
10 bodies recovered from Cox’s Bazar’ trawler: prime accused among 2 arrested, 64 sued
Two people including the prime accused on Tuesday were arrested in connection with the recovery of 10 bodies from a fishing trawler in the coastal area of the Bay of Bengal in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday.
The arrestees are prime accused Baitta Kamal and No.4 accused Karim Sikdar.
Md Mahfuzul Islam, superintendent of police (SP) of the district, said they arrested the duo from Maheshkhali’s Matarbari and adjoining area on Tuesday.
During the primary interrogation, the arrestees admitted that they were involved with the killing of the 10 fishermen, the SP claimed.
The arrestees will be produced before a court with a prayer for remand for unveiling more information about the sensational incident, the SP said.
Earlier, Rokeya Akter, wife of one of the victims Shamsul Islam, filed a murder case accusing four identified individuals including the duo and 60 unidentified ones at Cox’s Bazar Sadar police station on Monday.
Asked whether all the victims were pirates, he said, “It is not clear yet now, however deceased Shamsul Islam and Nurul Kabir were accused of drugs and robbery cases respectively.”
Read more: 10 bodies recovered from fishing trawler in Cox’s Bazar
Half-composed bodies of 10 people were recovered from the fishing trawler from Nazira point of Cox's Bazar sea beach on Sunday.
The fishing trawler was towed to the shore by unidentified people. The trawler went missing two to three weeks ago. The trawler was caught in the net of another fishing trawler, which subsequently pulled it to Sonadia channel in Maheshkhali.
Among them were Shamsul Alam, 23; Saiful Islam, 18; Sawkat Ullah, 18; Osman Gani, 17; Saifullah, 23; Parvez Musharraf, 14; Nurul Kabir, 28; Saiful Islam, 34; Mohammad Shahjahan, 35; and Tarek Zia, 25.
The bodies were sent to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsies later.
Over 3,500 desperate Rohingya attempted deadly sea crossings in 2022
More than 3,500 desperate Rohingya attempted deadly sea crossings in 39 boats in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal in 2022, according to the latest data from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
This represents a 360 per cent increase on the year before when some 700 people made similar journeys, said UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo at a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.
In the absence of a comprehensive regional response to address these perilous maritime movements, UNHCR warns that more people will die on the high seas, under the watch of many coastal States.
UNHCR has recorded an alarming rise in the death toll.
At least 348 individuals died or went missing at sea in 2022, making it one of the deadliest years since 2014.
Some 3,040 individuals who undertook the sea journey disembarked in 2022, primarily in Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Nearly 45 per cent of those who disembarked were women and children, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
In the last two months of 2022, four boats carrying over 450 Rohingya disembarked in Aceh, Indonesia.
One boat carrying over 100 Rohingya disembarked in Sri Lanka.
One boat is feared to have sunk in early December with approximately 180 individuals on board.
Several boats that departed in December remained at sea as of the end of the year.
Read more: Very limited spaces offered for Rohingya resettlement: UNHCR
Calls by UNHCR to maritime authorities in the region to rescue and disembark people in distress have gone unheeded with many boats adrift for weeks.
Most boats departed from Myanmar and Bangladesh, highlighting the growing sense of desperation amongst Rohingya in those two countries.
Those who have disembarked report that they undertook these dangerous sea journeys in an effort to find protection, security, family reunification, and livelihoods in other countries.
Among them are victims of trafficking, unaccompanied and separated children, and survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence.
The current crisis in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea is a crisis of solidarity, UNHCR said.
The Bali Process, a forum for policy dialogue, information sharing and cooperation to address people smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crime, will hold its 8th Ministerial meeting in February.
Read more: Vulnerable Rohingyas: US to consider resettlement recommendations from UNHCR
UNHCR repeats its call for prompt search and rescue and timely disembarkation in a place of safety, and for support to countries where Rohingya refugees are disembarked.
"We call on countries to redouble efforts to prevent human smuggling and trafficking," said UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo at a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
There is also a need for humanitarian responsibility to be more evenly distributed among countries in the region to ensure protection responses are predictable, equitable, and sustainable.
The region and the international community need to support efforts to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar. Until these are resolved, refugees will continue to undertake dangerous journeys in search of safety.