Research Article

The Dreams and Challenges of Bangladesh's Shipbuilding Industry

Hossain K A, Aminul Islam, Khandakar Anika Akhter, Khandakar Adiba Akhter
Bangladesh Maritime University, Dhaka, Bangladesh · North South University (NSU), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Corresponding author: Hossain K A, Vice Chancellor, Bangladesh Maritime University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
📘 Volume 1, Issue 1 📄 Pages: 1-30 📅 September 10, 2026 🔗 DOI: Pending 🏷️ Research Article

Article Information

Article Type: Research Article
Submitted: August 14, 2026
Accepted: August 28, 2026
Published: September 10, 2026
Pages: 1-30
DOI: Pending
Language: English
License: CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Bangladesh possesses a long shipbuilding heritage and a young, low-cost workforce, yet its share of the USD 200 billion global shipbuilding market remains marginal. This study examines the potential and constraints of Bangladesh's shipbuilding industry using a mixed-method design that combines secondary market and technology analysis with primary qualitative evidence from 695 stakeholder engagements (structured and semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions) conducted between May 2022 and March 2026 across shipyard workers, owners/managers, engineers, government officials, NGO representatives, academics and foreign experts. Primary data were analysed through qualitative thematic synthesis of interview and FGD content, triangulated with secondary industry data (global shipbuilding trend and forecast reports) and a SWOT-based assessment of the local industry. The findings indicate that Bangladesh's principal advantages lie in low-cost skilled labour, a long coastline, and a growing pool of technical graduates, while its main constraints are weak backward-linkage industries, limited adoption of smart and digital shipbuilding technologies, inconsistent government policy support, and infrastructural limits such as shallow river draft. The study estimates that Bangladesh could realistically target a 2–5% share (approximately USD 10 billion) of the projected USD 500 billion global market by 2035, primarily in the small-to-medium vessel segment (1,000–30,000 DWT). The paper contributes an empirically grounded, stakeholder-informed assessment of the sector — an area where prior studies have relied largely on secondary data — and offers policy and industry recommendations for technology adoption, workforce development and export-oriented shipyard zoning.

Keywords

Shipbuilding Smart Shipyards Smart Port Advanced Technology Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning IoT Shipbuilding Market Bangladesh Shipbuilding Maritime Industry Backward Linkage Digital Shipbuilding Workforce Development Export-Oriented Shipyard Zoning Small-to-Medium Vessels Mixed-Method Research SWOT Analysis Technology Adoption Government Policy

Cite

Citation: Hossain K A, Aminul Islam, Khandakar Anika Akhter and Khandakar Adiba Akhter (2026) The Dreams and Challenges of Bangladesh's Shipbuilding Industry. Epistora J. Eng. & Tech. Innov. 1(1), 1-30. Article EJETI-2026-101