DHAKA, U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh -- U.S. Ambassador Earl Miller handed over 20 vessels to the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard in a virtual ceremony with Bangladesh Assistant Chief of Naval Staff for Operations Rear Admiral M Ashraful Haq and Rear Admiral Ashraf Hoq Chowdhury, Director General of the Bangladesh Coast Guard on 9 September. The event marked the formal handover of 10 38-foot (11-meter) Defiant Class Metal Shark Boats and 10 25-foot (8-meter) Defender Class Boats to the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard following a request from the Bangladesh government. The United States Government provided the Metal Shark and Defender boats to improve the Bangladesh Navy’s and Coast Guard’s abilities to conduct maritime security operations and increase their capacity to monitor, patrol and respond to threats within Bangladesh’s coastal waters and Economic Exclusive Zone.

The 20 boats will significantly improve the maritime interdiction and counterterrorism capabilities of the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy’s Special Operations Force Special Warfare Dive and Salvage Unit. The U.S. and Bangladesh will conduct joint exercises in the coming months to train Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard sailors to utilize this important new law enforcement and counterterrorism tool.

“These boats are another great example of the long history of close security cooperation between the United States and Bangladesh,” Ambassador Miller said.

This donation demonstrates the United States Government’s commitment to support Bangladesh in protecting its maritime borders and the freedom of navigation in the Bay of Bengal.