Ship movement started on Chittagong-China route

A container ship from China arrived at Chittagong sea port without stopping. This is the first ship on Chittagong-China direct route.

The ship named MV Kota Angun reached Chittagong port on Monday (September 16) morning. Earlier on September 7, the ship left China's Ningbo-Zhushan port for Chittagong.

Traders said that there were no direct ships on the China-Chittagong route earlier. Goods were transported through transshipment ports. In this case it took 20 to 25 days. Now direct route ships reach Chittagong from China in just 9 days. Through this, traders are saving money and taking less time. Bangladeshi traders will benefit if the route is opened permanently.

The Singapore-flagged vessel, which came directly from China, was carrying about 5500 TEUs (20-foot long units) of containers, according to port authorities. It is scheduled to load cargo and leave for China again on September 19.

Chittagong Port Authority Assistant Terminal Manager (Control) Rajib Chowdhury said that a consortium of ships owned by multiple organizations has been formed in this service called China-Chittagong Express (CCE). Under this service, for the first time, a ship arrived at Chittagong port after just nine days with imported goods from China.

Most of the raw materials of the garment industry of Bangladesh come from China. 25 percent of the country's total imports come from China. Although only 1.22 percent of the total exports go to the country.

Chairman of Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association Syed Mohammad Arif said that businessmen had a long-standing demand for direct shipping on the Bangladesh-China route. Finally launched. This will strengthen the commercial relations between the two countries. However, regular shipping on this route is necessary to reap the benefits in the long run.