First direct container ship leaves Chattogram port for Italy

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The Liberian flagged vessel, MV Songa Cheetah, has left Chattogram Port for Italy’s Porto di Ravenna (The Port of Ravenna) with 952 TEUs of export load containers.

This is for the first time; a container vessel is carrying export cargo directly to a European destination from the country’s premier seaport.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan today inaugurated the direct freight service on Bangladesh-Italy route at the Jetty No. 4 of New Mooring Container Terminal.

While inaugurating the direct freight service, M Shahjahan said considering the importance of garment export, CPA will give priority to all facilities including berthing, key gantry crane allocation of ships on Italy- Chattogram route.

“Bangladesh-Italy direct freight service has started a landmark chapter in our economy,” he added.

He said that if other shipping lines want to launch such direct freight service, the port authorities will extend all possible cooperation.

President of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Mahbubul Alam said Bangladesh will be ahead of Vietnam in terms of garment exports if direct container shipping on Italy-Chattogram route is kept uninterrupted.

The new freight service will save lead time and shipping cost, he added.

According to sources with shipping agents, about 98 percent of the export goods are readymade garments while the remaining 2 percent are handicrafts, and leather and jute products. Once the goods arrive at the Ravenna port, they will be delivered to various destinations in Europe as per the demand of the buyers, they added.

As per the sources, it will take just 16 days to reach Italy for a ship through this route while currently it takes about 40 days for export goods to reach Europe via transshipment ports. This will reduce the shipment cost by around 40 percent.

Initially, two ships will transport export goods from Chattogram on the route. (BSS)