Comparative Evaluation and Regulatory Gaps in the Bangla desh’s Inland Shipping Ordinance 1976 Against Classification Society Standards: Implications for Ferry Safety Reform

Author: Md. Nasibur Rahman Arpon, ZobairIbn Awal, Ashhab Labib
DOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v2-1104

Inland Water Transport (IWT) is the backbone of Bangladesh's economy and its social life.However, its potential isalways wasted becauseof the high frequency of ferry accidents. The present study investigates the systemic regulatory failures that cause these events. Qualitative comparative analysis has been used to examine the Inland Shipping Ordinance 1976 (ISO 1976) in Bangladesh. This domestic law is compared against the comprehensive rules of three leading classification societies: Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Bureau Veritas (BV), and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). These international organizations maintain advanced maritime safety standards. Analysis was structured into nine key safety areas and discussed in the context of a case study of the 2021 Ro-Ro Ferry Amanat Shah accident. The analysis finds that ISO 1976 is well behind the times and requires upgrada tionacross all nine categories, ranging from design life to survey arrangements. The ordinance provisions tendto becompletely nonspecific or generalized on crucial safety matters carefully outlined in classification society rules. These regulatory loopholes were found to be directly correlated with the causative factors of the Amanat Shah accident, such as the ship's advanced age, unresolved stability issues, and a poor survey track record.Bangladesh's IWT sector's persistent safety crisis is a consequence of a stagnant, inadequate local regulatory system that has lagged behind modern maritime safety standards. There is an urgent and fundamental need to reform ISO 1976on the basis of best-practice principles and technical guidelines.