The government is set to launch a ferry service on the Gazaria-Munshiganj route on Sunday, officials said.
This ferry service will facilitate transportation of goods as it will connect Chattogram port with Mongla and Payra ports as well as the southern districts with Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the ferry service through a videoconferencing at her official residence Gonobhaban.
She will also inaugurate the commissioning of container shipping services on the day (June 03).
"The Gazaria-Munshiganj ferry service will connect Chattogram port with Mongla and Payra ports," a high official of the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) told the FE.
He said the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has built two mini-utility ferries at a cost of over Tk 94 million.
The names of the two ferries are Swarnachapa and Sandhamalati.
Once the service is launched, it will also connect 21 southern districts with Dhaka-Chattogram Highway. A ferry will take only 35 minutes to cross the two-kilometre route.
Two pontoons have already been set up at Gazaria and Munshiganj ferry ghats, another high official of the shipping ministry told the FE.
He said the BIWTA has decided to operate Swarnachapa on the river route.
The number of ferries will be increased in future considering the growing demand for service.
It is very important to launch the ferry service on the river route due to present and future economic activities in the area where garment factories, industrial park and coal-based power plants are now being set up.
The BIWTA, which is under the shipping ministry, has procured four cutter suction amphibious dredgers, four multipurpose inland container ships and two mini-utility ferries.
It has built four cutter suction amphibious dredgers at a cost of Tk 240 million.
These amphibious dredgers will be used for excavating small rivers or canals where there is no scope for using big dredgers due to lack of navigability.
The amphibious dredgers were built by Baek-kun Dredging Company Ltd. of the Republic of Korea.
The Dockyard and Engineering Works Limited, run by the Bangladesh Navy, has supervised the procurement process of the dredgers.
Meanwhile, the BIWTA has procured four self-propelled multipurpose inland container ships with a loan of around Tk 1.55 billion from the Japan Debt Cancellation Fund.
The names of the ships are MV Uddipan Express, MV Udayan Express, MV Uttaran Express and MV Unnayan Express.
Each of the ships could transport 158 containers (loaded).
The ships built by Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd and Khulna Shipyard Ltd will ply the Dhaka-Chattogram-Dhaka and Dhaka-Mongla-Dhaka routes.
The ships will help improve container service and reduce travel time and transport cost.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com