US gave Bangladesh Coast Guard 25 patrol boats since 2009

The United States has provided Bangladesh Coast Guard with 25 ‘Defender’ and ‘Defiant’ boats since 2009 for patrolling the rivers, inlets, and shorelines, Ambassador Marcia Bernicat says.

These boats, built in the US, have a rugged, built-to-last design and can operate at speeds of 45 to 50 knots, making them ideal for rescue operations in rough open waters or chasing down smugglers in the rivers, according to Bernicat.

“The US Coast Guard and other US federal agencies use them in much the same way as they are used here by the Bangladesh Coast Guard,” she said while inaugurating a boat maintenance facility at the East Zone Bangladesh Coast Guard Headquarters in Chittagong on Wednesday.

Bangladesh Coast Guard Director General Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury and East Zone Commander Captain Wasim Maksud were present among others.

The ambassador said this project represents nine years of joint US-Bangladesh efforts and $900,000 of investment by the US government.

She said with the boats given by the US, the Bangladesh Coast Guard is maintaining strong maritime security which is important “not just for the security of Bangladesh but for all of South Asia and the world”.

“The United States understands that ensuring maritime security works best when done with strong and capable partners.  This is why we are committed to collaborating with the Bangladesh Coast Guard,” she said.

The maintenance facility, the ambassador said, is also “a symbol of the strong partnership that exists between our nations – a partnership that is not about one country depending on the other but rather each of our nations using our strengths to achieve mutually desired security goals”.

“This facility, financed by the United States but owned and operated by Bangladesh, represents how our two nations can make each other stronger and more secure,” she said.