Commodity Supplies AG, a Swiss supplier, wants to launch a new ship after seeing the success of long voyages directly from Chattogram to Europe. They are planning to launch three ships carrying goods directly from Chattogram to Spain and the Netherlands next month (May).
With the launch of three new ships, it will be easier to transport goods from Chattogram to Europe in less time and at a lower cost, and the leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) think that Bangladesh’s garments sector will go one step further in the global competition.
About 45% of Bangladesh’s total exports are to 27 European countries. In the last 2020-21 fiscal year, goods worth 1 thousand and 746 crore dollars were exported to these countries. Out of the total 7 lacs and 29 thousand single containers exported through Chittagong port, only 3 lac containers have been taken to Europe. According to the latest data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Spain is currently the fourth largest importer of goods from Bangladesh and the Netherlands is the eighth. In the first 9 months (July-March) of the current 2021-22 fiscal year, goods worth 238 crore dollars have been exported to Spain. At the same time, goods worth 131 crore dollars have been exported to the Netherlands. Most of the products exported to Europe are readymade garments. For this reason, the new service is expected to make Bangladesh more competitive in exporting garments to Europe.
At present, cargo containers carrying export goods from Chattogram to Europe-America are first taken in small ships to Singapore port in Singapore, Colombo port in Sri Lanka, Port Kelang in Malaysia, and Tanjung Pelapas port. After unloading at these four ports, bookings are made and handed over to the big ships bound for Europe and America. Thus, it usually takes 24-28 days to transport goods from Chattogram through Singapore or Sri Lanka, or Malaysian ports to different European countries by container ship. However, due to delays in getting bookings on big ships in Singapore or Sri Lanka since COVID-19, it now takes more than 30-35 days to send the goods.
In such a situation, Reef Line, an Italian freight forwarder, and its subsidiary Calypso Compania de Navigation launched a direct container ship service from Chattogram to Italy on 7 February.
