The country’s gesture is part of its enthusiasm for a stronger naval relationship for the maritime ‘peace and stability’ in the Asia-Pacific region, officials said on Sunday.
US Ambassador to Dhaka Dan Mozena on Sunday said it would take several months of continued outfitting of the vessel and training of the crew after the transfer of the ship to Bangladesh Navy.
After the reflagging of the de-commissioned ship ‘Coastguard Cutter Jarvis’, he expected that it would reach Bangladesh by Dec.
Once transferred, this ship would be the biggest ship in the Bangladesh Navy.
The ‘Jarvis’ sailed in the Pacific and served the US since 1972. It was decommissioned in Oct last year.
The Ambassador made the announcement while replying to questions at a discussion orgainsed on the occasion of the visit of the US seventh fleet’s Commander Vice Admiral Scott H Swift. He is on a three-day visit in Bangladesh.
Referring to the transfer of the ‘Jarvis’, the Commander said it was ‘one of the many milestones’ in the journey.
He said he was ‘committed’ to Bangladesh Navy ‘to continue to be a strong partner.’
“We want to ensure …the ship is ready. We want to make sure Bangladesh Navy crews are fully trained. It will be ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with rest of the Bangladesh Navy,” he said.
He said he would continue ‘to be a good partner’ of his ‘friend’ Vice Admiral Muhammad Farid Habib, Bangladesh’s Navy chief, to help him integrate Jarvis ‘in the very good and capable platform for navy.’
The Commander Swift praised Bangladesh Navy’s ‘professionalism’.
He said the US would look for ‘consistent’ engagement and joint exercises, but ‘not permanent presence’ for boosting relationships.
“It (permanent base) has little value. As a navy we are mobile force. We are moving around all the time driven by exercise and engagement,” he said. “Our places are driven by exercises which are sometimes multilateral.”
He said their role is to ensure ‘freedom of navigation’ in the region as both the countries’ economy and trade depend largely on the sea.
Citing instances, he said Bangladesh’s largest export item ready-made garment products need raw materials that come through sea.
“So maritime is critically important for Bangladesh,” he said adding their role was ‘to facilitate and helping’ Bangladesh navy to ensure their freedom of navigation.
He said due to the training Bangladesh Navy had been able to control piracy in the sea, resulting in a 70 percent decline.
“Bangladesh Navy made it for the Bangladesh (and its) people,” he said.
He also underscored the need of continued dialogue for a ‘better navy-to-navy understanding’.
He said as an American military officer, he has to remember that it was their ‘civilian master who makes the decision about what we do’.
“….my role is to follow,” he said as question has been asked why the US seventh fleet had started moving to aid Pakistan during Bangladesh’s liberation war in 1971.
It was the Commander’s second visit to Dhaka. In Sep last year he had been in Dhaka to attend the second annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise between the US Navy and Bangladesh Navy in Chittagong.
The seventh fleet’s area of responsibility covers over 124 million square kilometres that extends from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date Line to the 68th meridian east, which runs through the India-Pakistan border.
The Commander will visit the Naval Academy and the Naval Base in Chittagong on Monday.
US Ambassador to Dhaka Dan Mozena on Sunday said it would take several months of continued outfitting of the vessel and training of the crew after the transfer of the ship to Bangladesh Navy.
After the reflagging of the de-commissioned ship ‘Coastguard Cutter Jarvis’, he expected that it would reach Bangladesh by Dec.
Once transferred, this ship would be the biggest ship in the Bangladesh Navy.
The ‘Jarvis’ sailed in the Pacific and served the US since 1972. It was decommissioned in Oct last year.
The Ambassador made the announcement while replying to questions at a discussion orgainsed on the occasion of the visit of the US seventh fleet’s Commander Vice Admiral Scott H Swift. He is on a three-day visit in Bangladesh.
Referring to the transfer of the ‘Jarvis’, the Commander said it was ‘one of the many milestones’ in the journey.
He said he was ‘committed’ to Bangladesh Navy ‘to continue to be a strong partner.’
“We want to ensure …the ship is ready. We want to make sure Bangladesh Navy crews are fully trained. It will be ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with rest of the Bangladesh Navy,” he said.
He said he would continue ‘to be a good partner’ of his ‘friend’ Vice Admiral Muhammad Farid Habib, Bangladesh’s Navy chief, to help him integrate Jarvis ‘in the very good and capable platform for navy.’
The Commander Swift praised Bangladesh Navy’s ‘professionalism’.
He said the US would look for ‘consistent’ engagement and joint exercises, but ‘not permanent presence’ for boosting relationships.
“It (permanent base) has little value. As a navy we are mobile force. We are moving around all the time driven by exercise and engagement,” he said. “Our places are driven by exercises which are sometimes multilateral.”
He said their role is to ensure ‘freedom of navigation’ in the region as both the countries’ economy and trade depend largely on the sea.
Citing instances, he said Bangladesh’s largest export item ready-made garment products need raw materials that come through sea.
“So maritime is critically important for Bangladesh,” he said adding their role was ‘to facilitate and helping’ Bangladesh navy to ensure their freedom of navigation.
He said due to the training Bangladesh Navy had been able to control piracy in the sea, resulting in a 70 percent decline.
“Bangladesh Navy made it for the Bangladesh (and its) people,” he said.
He also underscored the need of continued dialogue for a ‘better navy-to-navy understanding’.
He said as an American military officer, he has to remember that it was their ‘civilian master who makes the decision about what we do’.
“….my role is to follow,” he said as question has been asked why the US seventh fleet had started moving to aid Pakistan during Bangladesh’s liberation war in 1971.
It was the Commander’s second visit to Dhaka. In Sep last year he had been in Dhaka to attend the second annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise between the US Navy and Bangladesh Navy in Chittagong.
The seventh fleet’s area of responsibility covers over 124 million square kilometres that extends from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date Line to the 68th meridian east, which runs through the India-Pakistan border.
The Commander will visit the Naval Academy and the Naval Base in Chittagong on Monday.
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