Article Posted on : - Jul 24, 2010

Bangladesh Navy new survey ship 'Anusandhan' was previously owned by British Navy as HMS Roebuck. A file photo.

DHAKA (PTI): Bangladesh Navy has commissioned a Britain-made survey ship in its fleet which is capable of carrying out surveys of international standard.

"The ship, BNS Anushandhan, will be of considerable help to maintain the marine environment and navigability of the rivers, delimitate the maritime boundary and preserve the coastal area by collecting the necessary information and statistical data, and will also play a significant role in research activities and extraction of marine resources," a defence ministry statement said here Saturday.

It said "the long-awaited" dedicated hydro-graphic survey vessel, the first of its kind in the country, would "increase the credibility of the hydro-graphic activities of Bangladesh".

The survey ship, which previously owned by British Navy and known as HMS Roebuck, was commissioned into the Bangladesh Navy on Friday.

It was formally handed over to the Navy at Portsmouth on May 28, while it reached Chittagong port after covering around 9,000 nautical miles, making stopovers at Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Sri Lanka.