Government nods buying two bulk carriers by BSC

The Advisers' Council Committee on Government Purchase on Tuesday approved the procurement of two bulk carrier vessels for the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) at a total cost of Tk 9.357 billion.

The New York-based Hellenic Dry Bulk Ventures LLC will supply the vessels, each with a capacity of 63,500 deadweight tonnes (DWT). The first is scheduled for delivery in September, with the second to follow in November.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed chaired the meeting, held at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital.

According to BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek, the corporation invited international tenders in June this year. Eight companies purchased tender documents, of which three submitted bids within the stipulated deadline.

Following technical and financial evaluations, the committee recommended the offer from Hellenic Dry Bulk Ventures LLC at a total price of US$76.698 million, 4.60 per cent lower than the official estimated cost of $80.40 million.

The vessels will feature Contra Rotating Propeller (CRP) technology to reduce fuel consumption and boost operational efficiency, an aerodynamic bridge design to minimise wind resistance and enhance fuel efficiency, and a modern hull form to increase speed and cut hydrodynamic drag.

They will also be equipped with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems and Exhaust Gas Boilers (EGB) to effectively curb nitrogen oxide emissions from the main engine, significantly reducing environmental pollution.

"With the addition of these two ships, equipped with modern technical features and environmentally friendly technology, BSC's own transportation capacity will increase by about 120,000 DWT, a significant boost to the country's maritime trade," said Mr Malek.

The council meeting also cleared proposals for the procurement of two cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and for printing, binding, and supplying textbooks.

Under one approval, Petrobangla will purchase a cargo of LNG from M/S Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd at a total cost of Tk 5.03 billion, with each unit priced at $11.97.

Petrobangla was also authorised to buy another LNG cargo from M/S PetroChina International (Singapore) Pte Ltd for Tk 4.84 billion, at a unit price of $11.90.

Additionally, the meeting approved a proposal for the recommended bidder to print, bind, and supply 96 lots of textbooks for classes one, two, and three for the next calendar year, at an estimated cost of Tk 2.0 billion.

syful-islam@outlook.com