With 11 million square meters, France has the secondlargest maritime territory in the world. From this heritage, the country is considered a global leader in blue economy technology, research, and innovation in areas such as marine energies, sustainable fisheries, maritime industry, maritime security, and oceanography. For Bangladesh, these sectors hold great potential, especially since the Hague Court awarded in 2014 almost 20,000 km2 of maritime area in the Bay of Bengal. France is also championing blue diplomacy, as it hosted together with Costa Rica the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France – a successful multilateral event that contributed to securing enough signatories for the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) to come into force by 2026.
this new instrument is filling the existing gap regarding the conservation and sustainable use of resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Safeguarding the oceans, however, also demands strong public and private financing, as well as broader support for building a sustainable blue economy. Building on these elements, FranceBangladesh cooperation can be developed through increasing technical cooperation and enhancing business relations.
this dynamic was highlighted under a series of ‘Blue Talks’ organized in 2024 and 2025 by the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, which brought together key stakeholders and underscored Bangladesh’s pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of the Bay of Bengal, both in terms of exploration and the sustainable use of its coastal and marine resources. From this perspective, various subsectors stand out as particularly promising for cooperation, such as: Marine Energies: Marine renewable energies are still an untapped source of energy in order to meet the target of 30% power generation from renewable energies by 2040, in a context where land scarcity is a major obstacle to solar parks. France has made significant progress in developing nearshore and offshore wind farms as well as tidal energy, andpossesses the expertise to support Bangladesh in this domain.
the French company SABELLA is present in the Philippines to harness the tidal stream resource for a potential of 500 MW, while ENGIE is involved in wind farms in India with more than 300MW and has a strong expertise in offshore wind.
in this sector, financial tools from the French Ministry of Economy and Finance could be mobilized by the public sector. Sustainable Fisheries: Bangladesh is the 25th largest producer of marine fish, but has the potential to expand the production and eye exports if deep-sea fishing is developed. CLS Group, a subsidiary of the French Space Agency CNES, is already working with the Department of Fisheries to set up a Fishery Monitoring Center, but could expand further to help build a sustainable fisheries management plan and provide equipment to fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
the improvement of weather forecasts will also be key to allowing fishermen to explore further from the shore, and the expertise of the French state-owned Meteo France could be an asset for the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Maritime Industry: With its central location within the Indo-Pacific region, Bangladesh will play a more and more pivotal role in the shipping industry. French investors could have an interest in building new capacities for ports in Chittagong, Mongla, and Payra. France has an old tradition of shipbuilding that could also be an area for cooperation under a joint venture.
on the other side, Bangladesh is a leader in the shipbreaking industry and is currently greening its industry to match the Hong Kong convention requirements, a move that can benefit from French know-how. Maritime Security: In order to monitor the 20.000 km2 of maritime area, new equipment and technologies will be required.
this includes extension of the Bangladesh Navy for which Naval Group is keen to provide new vessels and improvement of the satellite surveillance, such as through the offer from Airbus Defence and Space for an earth-observation satellite system under the Bangladesh Satellite-2 project. Oceanography: With Bangladesh, France has developed close relationships in the field of oceanography and hydrography, for instance, through scientific cooperation with the oceanographic departments of Dhaka University and BUET, awarding scholarships in French research institutes like IFREMER.
an expert financed through the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is, in parallel, w o r k i n g at Dhaka U n i v e r s i t y to transfer knowledge and train a skilled workforce in Bangladesh in the field of marine sciences.
as Bangladesh aspires to become a strong and prosperous economy by the next decade, harnessing the potential of the blue economy will undoubtedly play a key role in driving this ambition, an area where closer collaboration with France could unlock new avenues of growth and innovation