Navy expects early arrival of submarines.

Bangladesh Navy has initiated process to buy two tugboats at a cost of Tk 130 crore to assist operation of submarines which are scheduled to join the naval base at the end of the current year.Officials said they were in a hurry to procure the tugboats ahead of the arrival of the two submarines from China.

They said tugboats were essential without which the submarines could not be operated from the harbours. Dhaka struck a deal with Beijing in November 2013 to acquire the submarines for strengthening the navy’s presence in the Bay of Bengal. It was apprehended that China would supply the country’s first submarines in 2019. But now the submarines are coming three years before the previous schedule. The two submarines would cost Tk 1,500 crore. According to a recent document of the navy, Beijing is almost ready to handover the submarines to Navy at the end of the current year. Navy has sought additional Tk 26 crore in the current budget from the ministry of finance for making the down payment for the tugboats.
Defence ministry officials said that the government had taken the initiative to add submarines to the naval fleet in the 1980s to build the Navy as a three-dimensional force in the Bay of Bengal. The Navy had communicated with China, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, South Korea and Turkey since 2010 for procuring the submarines. But only China came forward with its two off-the-shelf submarines — Type 035G—that are diesel-electric and wanted Bangladesh Navy to bear the refurbishment costs with equipment as required. The submarines of Ming class will have capacity of firing anti-ship missiles from its torpedo tubes. About 17 Bangladesh navy sailors are training to operate the submarines. The navy has meanwhile acquired land on Kutubdia Island in Cox’s Bazar to set up a submarine base.

Land acquisition for submarine base in Cox’s Bazar starts

The two Ming-class submarines are expected to strengthen the navy’s ability to protect maritime resources and territorial waters, the New Age newspaper quoted unidentified officials as saying.

 

Type 035 G Chinese Ming Class Submarines

“The state-to-state deal would cost Bangladesh $203.3mn to procure the two Ming-class submarines,” the report said.

Officials from the navy or military’s media arm were not immediately available for comment but the report came four months after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the government’s plans to procure submarines.

In August, Hasina told a navy ceremony that, despite economic constraints, her government is committed to building a modern and balanced three-dimensional naval force for safeguarding interests in the high seas and littoral regions.

Chinese Ming Class Submarines

According to earlier reports, the Type 035G diesel-electric submarines were scheduled to be delivered in 2019. The navy decided to make payments to the Chinese state-owned firm that makes the submarines from the current fiscal to 2017-18.

The navy said 17 officials had been trained to operate submarines and it had acquired land on Kutubdia Island in southwestern Cox’s Bazaar to set up a submarine base.

“We need to have a robust maritime presence as a strategic nation,” Maj Gen (retired) A N M Muniruzzaman, a defence analyst, told a news agency.

The Indian Ocean has become the “most strategic maritime theatre” with India, China and the US being the key actors, particularly after America’s maritime policy began focusing on the region, he said.

The submarine deal will be the second major defence agreement this year. Bangladesh earlier finalised a $1bn deal with Russia to procure Mi-17 helicopters, combat trainer aircraft, armoured personnel carriers, anti-tank missiles and pontoon bridges.

Analysts have said this deal appeared to be a diplomatic shift as Russia was not a traditional source of weapons. The Bangladeshi military is more familiar with weapons from China and the US, they said.