Direct shipping with Europe, Bangladesh’s largest trading bloc, is set to commence today . Container ship Songa Cheetah is set to arrive at Chattogram port on Saturday and leave for Italy’s Porto di Ravenna on Monday on the first direct commercial freight trip from Bangladesh to Europe , reducing the cost of garment export and saving shipment time.
“It opens a new horizon in exports,” said Mohammad Omar Faruque, Secretary of Chittagong Port Authority.
Sending a container directly from Chittagong Port to Italy takes about 20 days and costs around $10,000. But the cost goes up to $14,000-15,000 to ship a container of the same size to Europe through mother vessels via transshipment port Singapore or Colombo – and it takes around a month, according to sources.
Due to the high cost and shipping disruption during the pandemic, major buyers of readymade garments in Italy jointly took the initiative to start direct shipping to Europe from Chattogram. As part of this initiative, the Chattogram-Italy route has been launched.
With the help of Italian buyers, Calypso Company D Navigation, a ship operator in Chittagong Port, also an affiliate of RifLine Worldwide Logistics Ltd, a freight forwarder, has taken the initiative to operate direct ships from Chattogram to Italian Port Ravenna and Civitavecchia.
Container ship MV Songa Cheetah from Europe arrived at Chittagong Port around Saturday noon with 953 Twenty Equivalent Unit (TEU) empty containers and a few containers of imported goods. The ship will start for Italy with 983 TEU containers, mostly readymade garments items.
According to sources, the products of renowned brands will be shipped directly on the Chattogram-Ravenna route.
Faruque said arrangements had been made to ensure that the ship could quickly unload and reload.
Tanvir Ahamed, Regional Head of RifLine Worldwide Logistics Ltd, said, “By shipping the containers directly to Europe, the cost is going to be reduced by 30-35 percent. It will save at least a week’s shipment time. The delivery duration of Chattogram-Ravenna port is 20 days. But via Singapore or Colombo, it takes about a month to ship goods from Chattogram to any port of Europe.”
Mohammad Rashed, Chairman of Reliance Shipping and Logistics, the local agent of MV Songa Cheetah, said the door to massive potential would open with this route.
“The goods can reach the European market quickly without the help of the mother vessel of the transhipment ports, which will revolutionise RMG export,” he added.
A Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association delegation, diplomats from the European Union and Italy in Bangladesh are scheduled to inspect the container loading activities at the port today.
A ship with empty containers arrived at Chittagong Port on Dec 23 last year during a trial run.
