Ferry service on Chattogram-Sandwip route begins

The government has inaugurated a ferry service on the Chattogram-Sandwip route, the first ferry service on a maritime route in the country.

Shipping, Labour and Employment Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain inaugurated the service at Sitakunda upazila’s Bashbaria Jetty at 8:30 am on Monday, reports bdnews24.com.

The ferry route will answer the demands of the 400,000 natives of the island Sandwip Upazila, which now has a direct connection to the mainland.

The Ministry of Shipping initiated the ferry service running from Sitakunda Upazila’s Bashbaria to Sandwip’s Guptachhara.

New roads, parking, and jetties have already been constructed at both ends of the route to ensure a smooth ferry service. A test run was also done.

People in Sandwip had pushed for a ferry service to be introduced for a long time but previous initiatives had not borne fruit.

Previously, the island’s residents had to traverse the rough sea route on speedboats, trawlers and other water transports. Maritime travel amid the adverse weather led to many accidents, many of them fatal.

When the weather became too difficult for water transport, it also suspended the use of water transports. Patients and others with urgent needs were cut off from the mainland.

The ebb and flow of the tide also meant that, at many times, passengers had to disembark their vessels and trudge through mud to reach the jetty.

The new ferry service will hopefully translate the island residents’ dream of safe maritime travel into a reality.

The ferry also provides an opportunity for buses, trucks, tank lorries, minibuses, cars and other transports to reach the island directly, hopefully increasing the Upazila’s standard of living and economic capacity.

However, concerns remain on whether the ferry service can continue into the monsoon season when the seas are rough. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Commodore Arif Ahmed Mostafa said they had made preparations to address the issue.

“We have done the test run of the ferry Kapotakkha. It requires one hour and ten minutes for one-way travel to or from Sandwip,” said BIWTA Chattogram Deputy Director Md Qamruzzaman.

"We plan four ferry trips a day after calculating the timings of high and low tide.”

He said it would be the first time ferry service would be provided on a maritime route in the country. Each ferry will be able to carry around 35 small and big vehicles on a single trip.

Sandwip resident and general secretary of the Chattogram Metropolitan Journalist Union Saleh Noman said, “A long-held demand of the people of Sandwip is being fulfilled. Before this, the people had to face severe hardship to cross the sea route and reach Chattogram.”

"Sandwip will be connected to the nation through this effort. The island Upazila will be developed further and the standard of living will go up.”

Improved medium-type ferry Kapotakkha’s Master Shamsul Alam Saiful said that in addition to vehicles, 600 people will be able to travel on the ferry on a single trip.

“Some permanent fishing nets are set in the Sandwip channel. We requested the Upazila executive officer to remove them for safe ferry movement at night. He assured us that they will be removed.”

M Fouzul Kabir Khan, advisor to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and Ministry of Road Transport, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Bridges, Environment, Forest, Climate Change and Water Resources Advisor, Faruk E Azam, advisor to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Bidhan Roy Podder, advisor to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, and Farida Akhter, advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock also attending the event.

The advisors also inaugurated the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) bus service on the Dhaka-Sandwip route on Monday in accordance with the ferry service.

The BRTC launched AC bus service on the Chatogram Airport-Sea Beach-Nimtala-Nayabazar-Kumira-Bashbaria Jetty-Sandwip Enam Nahar Mor route on Monday.

The ferry charges are as follows: general passenger Tk 100, motorcycle Tk 200, CNG-run autorickshaw Tk 500, car Tk 900, bus Tk 3,300, truck Tk 3,350, and ten-wheeled transport Tk 7,100.