The Development of Design and Construction Procedure of Hilsa Research Vessel for the Contribution of Enriching Hilsa Production in Bangladesh Riverine Areas

Abstract

Bangladesh being a riverine country depends on her 230 rivers and Bay of Bengal for her economic growth to a considerable degree from time immemorial. Fishing is an important industry throughout the region in terms of generating employment, foreign exchange earnings, food supply and providing incomes for local communities. Hilsa is an important diadromous fish considered as national fish in the country and contributes to the national economy, employment and export. Hilsa has more than 13.4% contribution in the country's fish production as the single fish species. Keeping in view of the immense potentials of Hilsa sector requires a new hull design and construction thought of such a high-tech Hilsa Research Vessel to survey under water river bed to find Hilsa enriched region, collect sample, process to research and interpret with previous data to enhance the Hilsa harvest from riverine areas of Bangladesh. On the shipyard point of view, there is used trained professional team with rich industry expertise and highly customized flexible supply chain solutions for the client with unified technology systems. Becoming a leading maritime power through this high-tech research vessel, it is possible to know the nature of the movement of Hilsa, where it lays its eggs, whether it is migrating or not and the level of oxygen in the river bed which is equipped with a Hilsa research laboratory, netting system and a portable mini hatchery. Besides that, the ship will also help protect other fish biodiversity. Mostly important, it will act as a game changer in Hilsa research. Meanwhile, developing a new design for a Hilsa research vessel requires considering various factors, such as the scientific objectives, the operational requirements, the environmental conditions, the safety standards, the cost-effectiveness, and the sustainability of the vessel. In this paper, the authors propose a design method for a small research vessel of 25 meter length which will be cost effective, meets operational requirements of users at a 10 knots research speed.