Cabinet approves draft Maritime Zones Act 2019

The Cabinet today approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Maritime Zones Act 2019 aimed at unlocking huge potentials of the blue economy and checking crimes on the sea.

The approval came from the regular Cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office in Dhaka.

“The Foreign Ministry brought the proposed law before the Cabinet for its approval in accordance with various sea related international laws and conventions,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told a news briefing at the Secretariat after the meeting.

Bangladesh’s sovereign rights on over 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone and over 350 nautical miles continental shelf in the sea will be established if the law is enacted, the cabinet secretary said in the briefing.

Apart from these, it will be possible to curb the sea related crimes like robbery and unlawful activities including sea pollution, if the law is enacted, he said.  

The proposed law has recommended capital punishment for murder and committing robbery and other sea related crimes, he said.

The proposed law has recommended capital punishment for murder while the highest punishment for robbery is life-term imprisonment and 14-year imprisonment will be awarded for abetting such crimes, he said.