Cox’s Bazar – Between 5-6 March, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in coordination with the Moheshkhali Upazila administration and other governmental bodies conducted a “Safety at Sea” training for 200 boatmen based on the island of Moheshkhali, with the support from Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).

The Cox’s Bazar – Moheshkhali sea route is one of the most important routes in this region, used frequently by development agencies and tourists alike. Similarly to Cox's Bazar’s mainland, the island of Moheshkhali is extremely prone to natural hazards such as cyclones. According to the District Administration, nearly a third of the 300,000 people living on the island are at risk.

Mr. Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Moheshkhali’s Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) has applauded the initiative during the project’s inauguration on March 5.

Along with the Upazila administration, the local Fire Service and Civil Defense, Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), Bangladesh’s Internal Water Transportation Authority and Coast Guard also actively participated in the training.

“Several hundred boatmen are actively working on the Cox’s Bazar–Moheshkhali sea route, but they haven’t had access to any proper training on safety at sea so far. It is imperative for them to have access to this type of life-saving capacity building activity,” explained Patrick Charignon, IOM Cox’s Bazar Transition and Recovery Programme Coordinator.

The training was organized in two batches, for 100 participants each day. Members of the Upazila and Union DMC in Moheshkhali also participated in the training. After completing their respective module, IOM provided the boatmen with sea safety equipment.

As part of the training, the boatmen learned new concepts on different types of topics, ranging from DRR, basic firefighting, initial rescue, cyclone early warning system and behavior change in communication, to proper use of sea safety equipment (life jacket, life buoy, radium sticker, power bank and torch light).