The first direct container ship on Bangladesh-China route left has the Chattogram port as the new service will not allow ships to unload cargo at transshipment ports.
The ship left for China carrying a total of 1,292 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), of which 439 units were full of apparel goods at 5:30pm on Tuesday.
Earlier on May 20, the ship MSC KYMEA operated by the Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) arrived at Chattogram port jetty.
As the bilateral trade between Bangladesh and China continues to rise, MSC has launched the shipping service called “Bengal Express” to facilitate direct shipping between the two countries, reports TBS.
MSC will initially operate four cargo ships on this route and two more ships will be added to the fleet subsequently. At least one ship carrying goods from China will arrive at Chattogram port per week.
According to the report, the ships will load container goods from the ports in Hong Kong on the way to China. Then, in China those will pick goods from Yantian and Shekou ports.
On the return trip to Chattogram port, these ships will load up more containers from the ports of Singapore and Malaysia.
The new route will allow ships to carry goods from China to Chattogram via several other ports in just 12-13 days, reducing the current shipment time by half, said the report.
At present, it takes about 25 days for regular ships to reach Chattogram port by loading and unloading goods at transshipment ports.
A senior official of MSC seeking said: “The new service will not allow ships to unload cargo at transshipment ports but they can pick up containers. So the cargo from China will reach Chattogram in 13 days. This will allow importers to transport goods in less time and at lower costs.”
At present, 19 ships of various shipping lines are transporting goods from China to Chattogram port via transshipment ports.
