Shipping ministry wants to be renamed

The Ministry of Shipping wants to change its name as the current one does not represent its functions and area of work anymore, said officials from the ministry.

They said at an inter-ministerial meeting this month, the ministry proposed a new name and took their feedback. The proposed name is “Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Maritime Affairs”, or “Bandar, Jahaj, and Nouparihaban Mantranalay” in Bangla.

Shipping Secretary Md Mostafa Kamal said that they have prepared the summary of the proposal and will send it to the Secretaries Committee for approval. “If it is approved, it will go to the Cabinet for the final nod,” he said.

Following independence, the ministry was under the then Ministry of Communications and named as Ports, Shipping, and Inland Water Transport Division.

“This name matched with the allocation of business as its works involve national waterways, inland water transport, ports, and overseeing the safety, environmental matters, and regulatory aspects of maritime shipping and maritime education. But the name was shortened to the Ministry of Shipping in 1988,” he said, adding that the shortened name was not self-explanatory.

The ministry faces problems while dealing with international bodies like the International Maritime Organisation. “We had to explain repeatedly about our allocation of business, especially maritime and port parts. But we need to represent our maritime business and shipping sector more precisely,” he added.

The secretary said that before finalising the new name, they scrutinised the names of the ministries in the US, European, and Asian countries and found that their names are self-explanatory.

The Ministry of Shipping has 12 departments and organisations which work on waterway communication, navigability, management of sea and land ports, dredging activities, and expansion of international trade by sea.

Asked if they want to change the names of any of the departments, the secretary said that all departments and organisations’ names are self-explanatory. There is no need to change those names.