The ‘BNS Somudra Joy’, the latest and largest vessel of the Bangladesh Navy arrived at Chittagong port on Friday. Formerly known as the United States Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis, the 378-foot high endurance cutter was commissioned in Hawaii in 1972.The ship was transferred to the Bangladesh Navy under the Excess Defense Articles programme on May 21 this year.
The US embassy in a media release said after “an extensive training programme and new equipment installation in California, the 167-man crew has successfully conducted a six-week transit of the Pacific Ocean”.
In the way it has already responded to the disaster in the Philippines.
The Bangladesh Navy was able to make use of the ship’s voyage to pick up over 40-tonnes of relief supplies and deliver them to Manila on Nov 30, it said.
“The ship will be expected to provide the Bangladesh Navy many decades of reliable service in extending their nation’s interest and global security into the Bay of Bengal,” the US embassy said.
“America is Bangladesh’s faithful partner in building the nation’s capacity to protect these maritime assets”.
Citing instances of its successful partnerships, it said, it was evident “as we see robberies in coastal waters and in port have dropped by over two-thirds; maritime insurance rates have dropped by a third; kidnapped fishermen in the western coastal area are now being successfully rescued”.
The US said as Bangladesh strengthens its capacity to protect its maritime borders, “everyone gains”.
“America gains as Bangladesh is the second largest source of readymade garments for the US and these products arrive by sea.
The region gains as secure Bangladeshi waters make for a more secure Bay of Bengal; and, most especially, the people of Bangladesh gain as their lifeline to the world is secure,” it also said.
The naval chief air vice marshal M Farid Habib and US ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena were present during its arrival at the jetty.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a media release said the ship has been named ‘Somudro Joy’ commemorating Bangladesh’s maritime victory over Myanmar.
The ship has been inducted in the 9th Frigate Squadron.
This is the first ship of Bangladesh Navy to run in gas turbine, ISPR said. It is designed to provide better sea-keeping and higher sustained transit speeds, greater endurance and range.
It has high-powered modern ship destroyer cannons which are capable of locating targets positions and hit them.
Besides, there is a flight deck for landing of different types of helicopters including Dolphin, Black hawk and C hawk.-bdnews24.com
