Initiating Marine Spatial Planning process: Resolving conflicts between Chittagong port and other maritime sectors in Bangladesh

Author: Shohida Aktar, Abu Taiyeb Md. Alimuzzaman, Samsul Mannan, Nazmus Sakib
DOI: 10.70279/bmj-v6-i1-1067
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Bangladesh is a maritime nation and its seaborne trade is highly dependent on the countries’ prime port, Chittagong which handles more than 90% of the total seaborne trade of the country. In the Port area of Chittagong, there are many more maritime activities other than shipping which includes fishing, oil & gas exploration, military and naval exercises, tourism, movements of naval and coast guard ships, pushing and towing, bunkering to the anchored ships, movement of old ships to scrapping yards. Being one of the largest segments of the maritime economic sectors, Chittagong port often faces conflict with other sectors. Bangladesh initiated several tools to manage its ocean and coastal resources but failed to achieve due prosperity. In this sense, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) can be a timely tool to minimize conflicts among all stakeholders and maximize the use of all resources through an integrated management process. The study aimed to find out conflicts of the Chittagong port with other maritime sectors and explore the role of MSP to resolve those conflicts. This study adopted a qualitative approach and synthesized data from both primary and secondary sources. To collect primary data, a total of 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted from different maritime sectors. The outcome of this study may include conflict resolution; engagement of different maritime stakeholders. The outcome of this research can benefit port sectors, maritime stakeholders, policymakers, researchers to understand the role of MSP for conflict resolution in Bangladesh.