Experts have demanded transparency in the approval of design of waterway vessels and fitness test for safety.
They also demanded clarity in the registration process and mastership as well as driving test.
The experts made the calls at a workshop organised by the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) in the capital on Sunday.
The NCPSRR held the event on the third death anniversary of its founding president Dr Abdur Rahim.
Mr Rahim was also a former professor of Bangladesh University for Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Prof Mir Tariq Ali of BUET alleged that the design approval process for water vessels is done by inefficient people in Bangladesh.
This ultimately results in the production of flawed vehicles, he said.
Mr Ali observed that the existing process of approving a design needs changing.
"An independent committee should oversee the process," he maintained.
Ashis Kumar Dey, NCPSRR general secretary, in his keynote paper highlighted five recommendations to avoid risks in waterways.
The suggestions included formation of an independent design-approving committee, led by experts from BUET and Marine Academy, appointment of adequate ship-servers for transparency in fitness test and registration process.
Mr Dey stressed the need for an independent board to conduct mastership and driving tests.
He called for appointing a public prosecutor for the ship court and removing the law officer of shipping department from conducting shipping-related cases.
NCPSRR president Md Shaheed Miah chaired the event.
