Bangladesh Coast Guard

Bangladesh Coast Guard (বাংলাদেশ কোস্ট গার্ড) is the maritime border patrol agency of Bangladesh. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs but its officers are transferred from the Bangladesh Navy. The headquarter is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

History
Bangladesh Navy has been performing the duties of Coast Guard in addition to own duties of maritime defence since the independence of Bangladesh. As the time passed by, with the up growing responsibility and workload it became inconvenient for Bangladesh Navy to cope with the increasing volume of policing duties at sea along with focusing her primary role. Thus Emergence of the Bangladesh Coast Guard as a new service was the result of an awareness that had been growing for some time in the Government for the requirement to enforce National Laws in the waters under national jurisdiction and ensure safety of life and property at sea. Following this The Coast Guard Act 1994 was passed by the parliament in September 1994. Formally Bangladesh Coast Guard in its present shape came into being on 14th February 1995 and started her operational activities with two patrol craft received from Bangladesh Navy under Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard Motto is ‘GUARDIAN AT SEA’

Today’s Bangladesh Coast Guard is a unique force that carries out an array of civil and military responsibilities touching almost every facet of the Bangladesh maritime environment.

Role & Mission
Over 90% of Bangladesh exports and imports pass through two sea ports at Chittagong and Mongla. Sea-lines communication to these two sea ports are the life lines of our economy. UNCLOS 1982 has made provision for sovereign rights for exploration and exploitation of living and non living resources in the EEZ. Fishery sector Contributes an important part of national export earning. Besides, significant quantity of gas has been discovered at Sangu in the Bay of Bengal, extraction of which has already started. Apart from these, a vast number of ships and craft of various types and sizes operate at sea for trade, commerce, fishing, research, exploration and extraction of oil, gas and minerals and so on. To exercise effective control, to ensure safety and security and protect national and international maritime interest at sea, all these diverse activities are brought under various National and International laws and acts.

Mission of Bangladesh Coast Guard
Control piracy, illegal trafficking, protect fishery, oil, gas, forest resources and environmental pollution in Bangladesh waters and coastal areas, ensure overall security and law and order through security assistance to sea ports, conduct relief and rescue operation in the coastal areas during natural calamity

Primary Role

 * Preserve national interest at sea
 * Fishery protection
 * Prevent illegal immigration through the sea
 * Pollution control
 * Piracy control
 * Prevent smuggling, trafficking of illegal arms, drugs and narcotics
 * Disaster relief operations
 * Search and rescue operations
 * Preservation of forest
 * Surveillance over the sea areas of Bangladesh
 * Carry out any other duty assigned by the government

Secondary Role

 * Assist Bangladesh Navy during war

Area of Jurisdiction
Area of jurisdiction of Bangladesh Coast Guard are the sea territory of Bangladesh as declared under the Territorial and Maritime Zone Act,1974. Bangladesh Government being a signatory has ratified UNCLOS, 1982.

Areas of Jurisdiction in the Bay of Bengal are:


 * Internal Waters
 * Territorial Water
 * Contiguous Zone
 * Exclusive Economic Zone
 * Continental Shelf

Apart from the sea territory of Bangladesh, The government has also placed the waterways of mangrove forest of Sundarban and major rivers up to Dhaka under jurisdiction of Coast Guard.At present the Bangladesh Coast Guard has the following zonal command namely East, West, South and the Dhaka sub zone.

Director General
Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain (TAS), (CD), ncc, psc BN is the present Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard.

List of Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Coast Guard

 * Commodore Shafiq-ur-Rahman (N) ncc psc BN (22 Feb 1995 – 06 Aug 1998)
 * Captain M A Motalib (G) ndu psc BN (07 Aug 1998 – 28 Apr 1999)
 * Commodore M Shahabuddin (E) psc BN (29 Apr 1999 – 29 Jan 2002)
 * Commodore Shah Iqbal Mujtaba (D) ndc psc BN (29 Jan 2002 – 29 May 2002)
 * Captain S M H Kabir ndu psc BN (4 June 2002 – 21 March 2005)
 * Commodore Sarwar Jahan Nijam (C) ndu psc BN (22 March 2005 – 20 June 2006)
 * Rear Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nijam (C) ndu psc BN (20 June 2006 – 9 February 2007)
 * Commodore M A K Azad (G) ndc psc BN (10 February 2007 – 5 January 2008)
 * Commodore Moqsum Ul Kader (C) ndc afwc psc BN (6 January 2008 – 25 Jan 2009)
 * Rear Admiral Z U Ahmed ndc, psc, BN (26 Jan 2009 to 27 Jan 2009)
 * Commodore Moqsum Ul Kader (C) ndc afwc psc BN (27 Jan 2009 to 23 Mar 2009)
 * Commodore A S M A Abedin (E)ndc, psc, BN (23 Mar 2009 – )
 * Rear Admiral Kazi Sarwar Hossain (TAS), (CD), ncc, psc

High Speed Boat
There are alse at least two high-speed coastguard boats.

There is also some Defender-class rapid response boat.

Coast Guard aviation
Bangladesh Coast Guard Operates two Bell 212 Helicopter for SAR & MedEvac operation. This two Bell 212 was transferred from Bangladesh Air Force. Bangladesh Government is planning to add some more Helicopter in Bangladesh Coast Guard