France Reaffirms Support for Safer, More Resilient Ctg Port

France has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Bangladesh in strengthening industrial safety and resilience at Chattogram Port while exploring broader cooperation with the Chattogram City Corporation on sustainable urban development. French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet  made the remarks during a visit to Chattogram on Monday, where he inaugurated a two-week "Industrial Safety" training programme in collaboration with the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) and later paid a courtesy call on Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain, said the French Embassy here today.

"As Bangladesh's largest port, Chattogram is a focal point for major industrial safety challenges," the ambassador said, reiterating the continued commitment of France and the European Union to helping Bangladesh build safer and more resilient ports. He said the training programme supports Bangladesh's efforts to develop and secure its port infrastructure while promoting a culture of risk prevention that enhances both public safety and operational efficiency.

The programme focuses on managing industrial risks in port areas, including hazard identification, risk assessment, accident scenario modelling and determining safety distances to strengthen emergency response planning. The initiative is being implemented under the Global Ports Safety (GPS) Project, a Team Europe programme led by France and the European Union and executed by Expertise France. The project forms part of France's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the European Union's Global Gateway initiative and seeks to enhance the safety, resilience and sustainability of 12 strategic ports across eight countries in South and Southeast Asia along key Indo-Pacific maritime routes.

The ambassador thanked the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks and Expertise France for their collaboration. The training has brought together participants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Thailand, promoting regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing on industrial safety and port risk management. During his meeting with the CCC mayor, Ambassador Séré-Charlet  discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation at the local level and offered to explore partnerships between Chattogram and French cities.

The ambassador also highlighted France's continued support for Chattogram through the Agence française de développement (AFD), which is financing a major sanitation project aimed at addressing the city's immediate sanitation needs while contributing to long-term efforts to make the port city healthier, more resilient and more liveable. Mayor Dr Hossain briefed the ambassador on the Chattogram City Corporation's development priorities for the coming months and also informed him about the forthcoming city corporation elections.