United News of Bangladesh

A fishing trawler sank in the of the Bay of Bengal off Rangabali in Patuakhali amid inclement weather  but all nine fishermen aboard were rescued by another trawler on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, 18 fishermen have been stranded at sea since Saturday after their trawler’s engine broke down near Sonarchar. The depression over the Bay has intensified into a deep depression, causing cloudy weather and intermittent moderate rain in coastal Rangabali, Kuakata and the Payra seaport areas. Trawler’s owner Zahir Peya said it sank after being caught in rough waves. The nine fishermen aboard the trawler were rescued by another fishing trawler later at night. The 18 fishermen stranded near Sonarchar are currently located around 80 to 100 kilometres east-southeast of the estuary near Sonarchar. Their relatives said nearby fishing trawlers were unable to reach them because of the rough sea. The matter has been reported to the upazila administration, Coast Guard and naval police. Amzad Hossain, officer in charge of Rangabali Coast Guard, said it could take six to eight hours to reach the stranded fishermen. He also said there are limitations in terms of suitable vessels, manpower and rescue equipment to reach the location. Rangabali Naval Police said efforts are underway to rescue the 18 stranded fishermen with the help of other fishermen at sea. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the maximum sustained wind speed within 48 kilometres of the deep depression’s centre is 50 kilometres per hour, rising to 60 kilometres per hour in gusty or squally winds. As a result, maritime ports, including Payra, have been advised to keep hoisting local cautionary signal No. 3. Fishing boats and trawlers operating in the northern Bay have taken shelter in various channels, including the fishing ports of Alipur and Mahipur.

Bangladesh, the current Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Chair, will host the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) meeting in Dhaka on Thursday.  The 24th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) was held here in a Dhaka hotel on November 22-23. Ministers, State Ministers and Assistant Foreign Ministers of the IORA member states are already in Dhaka to attend the meeting.  Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said they want “free, inclusive, secure and peaceful” navigation for all without any encumbrance in the region. The Foreign Minister laid emphasis on making the best use of the sea in a more “regulated, progressive and scientific” way. “In the future, we will take on big projects to maximize gain,” said the Foreign Minister. Momen highlighted the priority areas of the IORA - maritime safety and security; trade and investment facilitation, fisheries management, disaster risk management, tourism and cultural exchanges; academic, science and technology cooperation, blue economy and women’s economic empowerment. He said the ministers and state ministers will jointly meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during their stay in Dhaka. The 24th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) focused on developing a mechanism to undertake larger projects, prevent piracy, armed robbery, unregulated fishing and disaster management. Decisions taken at the CSO meeting will be placed at the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) meeting to be held on November 24. Read more: IORA Meetings to focus on undertaking larger projects Currently, no project bigger than US$ 80,000 can be taken but projects with unlimited amounts can be taken if the IORA Development Initiative is approved, according to the IORA. The Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation which was established on 7 March 1997. There are 23 Member States of IORA and 10 dialogue partners. IORA committee of senior officials (CSO) expressed deepest condolences to the people and the government of Indonesia over the powerful earthquake that struck Cianjur, West Java recently, resulting in a tragic loss of many lives and people injured. Read more: IORA plays pivotal role, says Australian assistant foreign minister  

Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 15 fishermen who had been stranded on a trawler for three days in the Bay of Bengal after receiving a call from the National Emergency Service 999 on Sunday. The trawler with the fishermen was adrift in the sea about 15-20 km south-east of Bhasan Char after an engine failure on Thursday. It sailed from Noakhali’s Hatia on September 20. On Sunday afternoon one of the stranded fishermen named Jewel called 999 for help on the third day of their plight soon after network his mobile got back network. He also informed about their location. The SOS was immediately relayed to the control of the coast guard as well as their team at Bhsan Char, which rushed to rescue the fishermen. Bhasanchar Coast Guard JCO Shafiq, a member of the rescue team, confirmed the rescue operation.. The rescued fishermen were later brought to Bhasan Char, he added.