State-owned company plans satellite surveillance in the Bay of Bengal at a cost of Tk 6b

The government aims to establish a satellite-based surveillance system to detect the location of fishing vessels in the Bay of Bengal, monitor sea traffic, and gather information on illegal activities.

For this purpose, Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) plans to use an upgraded version of the Automatic Identification System (AIS).

Officials from the organisation state that this surveillance will be conducted through four low-altitude satellites. The estimated cost of the project could be around Tk 6 billion.

Bangladesh’s first satellite, Bangabandhu Satellite-1, was launched in 2018. It primarily functions for signal exchange and broadcasting from space. BSCL's proposed maritime surveillance system will be designed for different technical purposes. Currently, feasibility studies for the project are underway.

Experts say that the Automatic Identification System, or AIS, primarily facilitates the exchange of information regarding a vessel’s identity, location, speed, and course. In the conventional system, this information is received through coastal radio infrastructure.

In a satellite-based AIS system, signals from vessels at sea can be received via satellites, allowing their movement to be tracked from remote locations.

However, this system will only provide information for those vessels equipped with appropriate devices that can receive signals.

After resolving maritime boundary disputes with Myanmar in 2012 and India in 2014, Bangladesh acquired rights over 118, 813 square kilometers in the Bay of Bengal.

Government officials state that effective monitoring is necessary for fishing, vessel movement, and the utilisation of marine resources in this vast sea area.

BSCL's documents propose four satellites, two ground stations, and local server infrastructure for data processing to facilitate this surveillance. The goal is to achieve a maximum 'revisit time' of 30 minutes over the entire Bay of Bengal area. This means the interval between satellite observations in a particular area will be 30 minutes.

BSCL sources say they plan to use local servers for data processing and storage within the country. The aim is to maintain control over marine data at the national level and reduce dependence on foreign third parties.

When asked, BSCL's Managing Director (MD) Muhammad Imadur Rahman told Prothom Alo that they aim to complete the feasibility study by October. Afterward, the technical specifications of the project will be finalised, and an international tender to hire a manufacturing company will be announced. If a decision is made within this year, completion by 2028 is possible.

According to the information from the international fisheries research organisation WorldFish’s ECOFISH-2 Activity, funded by USAID, more than 5 million people's primary source of income in the coastal area is marine fish resources.

Additionally, incidents such as trawler sinkings in the Bay of Bengal, resulting in fishermen's deaths, and being swept away into foreign waters by waves occur frequently. Fishing trawlers often lack navigational equipment. Fishermen use the stars to navigate in the deep sea. If caught in a storm, they may drift into foreign territories.

According to the ‘Fish Safe 2025’ project information from the UK-based international charity Lloyd's Register Foundation, working on fishermen''s safety, over 1,350 fishermen die in the sea annually in Bangladesh due to the lack of safety equipment.

Acting Director of the Marine Fisheries Department of the Fisheries Directorate, Md Nazrul Islam, told Prothom Alo that a satellite-based surveillance system is needed for monitoring fishing vessels at sea. It will make it easier to detect vessel locations and ensure compliance with fishing regulations.

Md Nazrul Islam stated that although there are existing rules for fishing beyond a specified depth, some vessels do not comply. Coordinating vessel location information with relevant departments and checkpoints will aid in law enforcement and oversight.

BSCL states that using information about vessel locations and movements to plan voyages can reduce unnecessary travel by fishermen, leading to fuel savings.

The organisation has provided an estimate for fuel savings. According to their calculations, a boat can save up to 150 liters of diesel per trip if traveling as planned. Annually, this would result in a total fuel saving of 45 million liters, valued at Tk 4.59 billion.

According to the Fisheries Directorate, approximately 30,000 small or artisanal fishing boats are registered in the country. Additionally, the directorate estimates there are at least another 70,000 unregistered boats. BSCL suggests that satellite surveillance will make it easier to identify illegal vessels.

However, experts warn that identifying vessels lacking AIS equipment or those that intentionally turn off the device is challenging with the conventional AIS system. Therefore, questions remain about how many types of vessels can be detected with the proposed system and whether any other technology will be necessary for surveillance.

When asked, Professor Mohammad Atiquzzaman from the School of Computer Science at the University of Oklahoma, USA, told Prothom Alo that technologies like Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) should be used alongside AIS, allowing the detection of vessels not transmitting AIS signals.

Satellite expert Atiquzzaman also emphasises the importance of thoroughly evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of the project before investing.

Atiquzzaman states that it must be examined whether the required area can be monitored with four satellites. Additionally, analyzing the project's cost-benefit ratio and whether obtaining similar services from international satellite operators would be more economical is necessary.