Ship operations on Cox's Bazar-St. Martin route begin 

After a nine-month closure, the Cox's Bazar-St. Martin's route has resumed its tourist traffic from December 1. On the first day of the season, Monday, MV Bar Aulia, MV Karnaphuli and Keary Sindabad set off for St Martin's from the Nuniarachara BIWTA jetty at 7 am.

 

Additional passenger control and strict restrictions on the use of plastic were imposed under the strict supervision of the district administration, Department of Environment and Tourist Police. As part of awareness, aluminium 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 ghat by the Deputy Commissioner, along with Additional District Magistrate Md. Shahidul Alam, UNO of Cox's Bazar Sadar, Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury and Additional DIG of Tourist Police Apel Mahmud. They supervised the implementation of government instructions.

 

 Tourists will be able to stay overnight in St. Martin from Monday (December 1) to January 31, following the 12-point guidelines 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, 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 before. I have only heard about it from people. Going today will be a real opportunity to see the island.

 

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

 

Another tourist named Mohiuddin Chowdhury said, "Five years ago, I went to Saint Martin by ship via Teknaf. The joy of travelling to Saint Martin 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 that all preparations for the first voyage of the season had been completed in advance. The voyage has 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 they get the opportunity to stay overnight for at least four months in the next season.

 

Although tourist entry to St. Martin has been 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 am and return to Cox's Bazar at 3 pm the next day. Ticket collection will be mandatory through the Bangladesh Tourism Board's approved online platform. Each ticket will have a travel pass and QR code, and no ticket will be considered valid. 20 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 vitality with the arrival of tourists. However, the construction of the jetty is not yet complete, 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 am. After travelling 120 kilometres, the ship will reach St. Martin's Island at around 2 pm. The ship will return to Cox's Bazar with tourists at around 3 pm.

 

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

 

The 12-point directives announced to protect the fragile ecosystem of St. Martin will be strictly implemented this time. These include a ban on lighting lights on the beach at night, a ban on loud events and barbecues, a ban on entering the forest or collecting key fruits, a ban on all activities that harm any biodiversity including turtles, birds, king crabs, corals, a ban on motorized vehicles, and single-use plastic is strictly discouraged as part of the plastic-free island initiative. The Department of Environment is providing free aluminium bottles to tourists.

 

Khandaker Mahmud Pasha, Deputy Director of the Cox's Bazar Office of the Department of Environment, said that stricter restrictions have been imposed on the use of aluminium 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 that 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 concerned parties.