Plying of cruise ships resumes on Cox's Bazar-St Martin waterway

COX'S BAZAR, Dec 01: After a nine-month closure, movement of vessels transporting tourists resumed on the Cox's Bazar-Saint Martin's route on Monday (December 1).

Cruise ships MV Bar Aulia, MV Karnaphuli and Keary Sindabad set off for Saint Martin's Island from the Nuniarachara BIWTA jetty in Cox's Bazar at 7.00 am marking resumption of the tourist transportation.

Control on carrying additional number of passengers and strict restrictions on the use of plastics were imposed under the supervision of the district administration, Department of Environment and Tourist Police.

As part of awareness, aluminum water bottles were handed over to passengers on the first day, said Deputy Commissioner MA Mannan.

In the morning, the tourists were welcomed at the jetty by the Deputy Commissioner along with Additional District Magistrate Md Shahidul Alam, Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury and Additional DIG of Tourist Police Apel Mahmud.

They supervised implementation of the government instructions.

Tourists will be able to stay overnight on Saint Martin's Island from Monday (December 1) till January 31, following the 12-point guideline announced by the government.

Ship authorities said that all tickets for the first day were sold out in advance and a total of 1,200 passengers departed for the island on three ships.

Tourist Monir Ahmed, who boarded the ship to visit Saint Martin's, said, "I am going on a trip with my wife and children. I will stay overnight on Saint Martin's Island and return to Cox's Bazar the next day on the same ticket."

"I have never been to Saint Martin's before; I have only heard about it from people. Going today will be a real opportunity to see the island," he added.

A tourist named Meherjan Sumi said, "It is really exciting to go to Saint Martin's by ship across the vast Bay of Bengal. My long-standing desire to see the sea and blue waters of Saint Martin's has been fulfilled today."

Another tourist named Mohiuddin Chowdhury said, "Five years ago, I went to Saint Martin's by ship via Teknaf. The joy of travelling to Saint Martin's by crossing the Bay of Bengal via the Naf River and the Myanmar border is unforgettable. This time I am going on a different route. I hope it will be good."

Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operator Owners Association of Bangladesh (Squab), said all preparations for the first voyage of the season had been completed in advance.

The voyage has been started in a clean and safe environment with the cooperation of the administration. He also mentioned that the ship owners will be able to overcome the loss if visitors' stay overnight is allowed for at least four months in the next season.

Although tourist entry into St. Martin's has remained open since November 1, no ships have sailed so far due to the overnight stay ban. This time too, permission has been given to four ships to sail from the Nuniarachara jetty. A maximum of 2,000 tourists will be able to cross the Bay of Bengal to St. Martin every day.

According to the administration's decision, the ship will depart for St. Martin's every day at 7.00 am and return to Cox's Bazar at 3.00 pm the next day. Ticket collection will be mandatory through the Bangladesh Tourism Board-approved online platform. Each ticket will have a travel pass and QR code, and no ticket will be considered valid. Twenty volunteers are working to verify tickets at the jetty, and there will be volunteers at St. Martin's as well.

After a long break, St. Martin's has regained its vibrancy with the arrival of tourists. However, construction of the jetty has not yet been completed, said Ali Haider, representative of the contractor SS Rahman International.

According to the ship authorities, the tourist ship will depart from the Nuniarachara BIWTA-Jetty in Cox's Bazar city every day at around 7.00 am. After traveling 120 kilometers, the ship will reach St. Martin's Island at around 2.00 pm. The ship will return to Cox's Bazar with tourists at around 3.00 pm.

St. Martin's acting UP Chairman Faizul Islam said tourism has been the main livelihood of the locals for the past one decade. Despite any crisis, there will be no shortage of hospitality for tourists.

The 12-point directive announced to protect the fragile ecosystem of St. Martin's will be strictly implemented this time. These include a ban on keeping lights on at night, holding loud events and barbecues, entering the forest or collecting key fruits, engaging in any activities that harm biodiversity including turtles, birds, king crabs, corals, operating motorised vehicles, and using single-use plastics. The Department of Environment is providing free aluminum bottles to tourists.

Khandaker Mahmud Pasha, deputy director of the Cox's Bazar Office of the Department of Environment, said stricter restrictions have been imposed on the use of aluminum bottles to reduce plastic pollution. If it is implemented successfully, good results will be obtained.

Apel Mahmud, head of the Cox's Bazar Region of the Tourist Police, said the Tourist Police is providing security to tourists on ships and on St. Martin's Island. In addition, members of the Tourist Police are working to protect the environment.

Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner (DC) M.A. Mannan said, "St. Martin's is our national asset. It is everyone's responsibility to follow the instructions in the interest of protecting the environment and responsible tourism."

He also said that the protection of the island's biodiversity will be ensured through coordinated supervision by the administration, ship owners and parties concerned.

tahjibulanam18@gmail.com