The Rotterdam port in the Netherlands is the hub of freight transport in Europe. Now a direct container ship service is being launched from Chittagong port to the busiest port in Europe. The first ship will leave Chittagong port for Rotterdam on 15 May; will reach the port in 20-21 days. The ship will then sail to Liverpool, another one of the busiest ports in England. This information was given by Kaler Kantho quoting the new service’s local shipping agent Phoenix Limited.
The first direct container ship service from Chittagong port to Italy was launched in February this year. Following in the footsteps of its success, London-based freight forwarder Allseas Global Logistics has taken the initiative to launch the new service. The company will initially start transporting goods with three ships. Two more ships will be added to the service later. And every 10 days a ship will leave Chittagong port for Liverpool port.
Phoenix Shipping Limited is acting as the local shipping agent for the new service. Capt. Syed Sohail Hasnat, CEO of the company, said, ‘We are launching the new service with three ships. I have already got the permission of the port. One ship will leave Chattogram every 10 days. It will take 20-22 days to reach Rotterdam directly from Chattogram. It will take one more day to reach Liverpool port from Rotterdam. ‘
He added, ‘The first ship ‘MV AMO’ has 600 to 700 single export container bookings. Most of which will land at the Rotterdam port. As you know, it is possible to transport goods quickly by road from Rotterdam to most European countries, including Germany and Sweden.’
At present, three container vessels of Italian freight forwarder Reef Line and its subsidiary Calypso Compania de Navigation are directly exporting goods on the Chattogram-Italy route. Bangladeshi exports are being taken to other European countries by road from that port in Italy. However, the entrepreneurial organisation thinks that this new service will be more effective.
According to them, the three ships on the Chattogram-Rotterdam-Liverpool route are large in size, meaning containers with a capacity of 1,500 to 1,800 units. As it is a big ship, more containers can be transported together. And every 10 days it will be possible to ship the exported goods without shipping to Chattogram. Again, ships of this size will be relatively safe when the sea is rough in the coming adverse weather.
When asked how long the service would run, Captain Hasnat said that in the current situation of global shipping lines, Bangladeshi goods are not getting a place on the ships even after paying higher fares. There is no such problem with the new service. And bookings for our next three ships are constantly increasing. As a result, the service can be sustainable if there is a continuation of demand for the product.
Meanwhile, ‘Commodity Supplies AG’, a Swiss supplier, has taken the initiative to launch another direct shipping service to Barcelona port in Spain and Rotterdam port in the Netherlands. The company will start the service with three container vessels by the end of 22 May. Every 15-17 days a ship will leave Chittagong port.
When asked, Mohammad Rashed, Chairman of local agent Reliance Shipping and Logistics, said that freight forwarders are now renting ships and transporting their own containers on their own initiative. The new concept saves time for goods to reach Europe, lowers fares, timely delivery of goods to buyers, and reduced dependence on the world’s largest shipping operators. It is gaining popularity.
It is known that 45% of the total exports of Bangladesh products are exported to 27 countries in Europe. In the last fiscal year 2020-21, goods worth 1 thousand 746 crore dollars were exported to these countries. Out of the total 7 lac and 29 thousand single containers exported through Chittagong port, 3 lac containers have been taken to Europe. Germany accounted for more than 15% of all exports. About 10% went to England. 6% went to Spain. 3.5% went to the Netherlands. 3.37% went to Italy. With the introduction of these direct shipping services, Bangladesh will get ahead in the competition and more orders for export products will come to Bangladesh.
