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The first ship on the Bangladesh-China direct route, MV Kota Angoon V Kajon, carrying 935 TEUS containers arrived at the outer anchorage of Chittagong sea port on Monday.
The ship was scheduled to dock at Jetty No. 13 of Chittagong Port today (Tuesday).
Pacific International Lines (PIL), a leading container shipping company, has initiated direct shipping between China and Bangladesh through the Chittagong port.
Sailing from Ningbo, China, via Shanghai and Shekou, the ship on this route has arrived directly at Chittagong sea port. On the return journey, the ship will also anchor at the Chinese port.
Talking to The Financial Express, Secretary of CPA Mohammed Omar Faruk stated, "The quality and capacity of Chittagong sea port are increasing day by day, like other modern ports worldwide. With the development of Chittagong port, we are now focusing on expanding our sea routes. We will prioritise applications from ship owners for new routes from Chittagong sea port."
"Meanwhile, a ship from China has already arrived at Chittagong sea port and will dock at the jetty today (Tuesday). Therefore, the Bangladesh-China sea route is now operational through the shipping lines," he added on Monday.
He further mentioned, "We recently granted permission to a new ship to carry containers to European ports. Currently, ports in Portugal, Slovenia, and Dubai, UAE, are interested in signing agreements with Chittagong port for direct sea routes."
Syed Mohammad Arif, President of the Shipping Agent Association, commented, "The new route will enhance our trade with China. Bangladesh imports machinery and raw materials for the garment manufacturing and export sector from China, while Bangladesh's export basket includes jute yarn, hides, and processed hair. Additionally, a variety of other goods are imported from China. Therefore, operating a direct shipping route is considered quite promising."
It should be noted that CPA is currently prioritising applications from ship owners for new routes from Chittagong sea port. As part of this consideration, an experimental new sea route from Chittagong seaport to China has been launched, with the berthing and departure of MSC Kymea on May 27, 2023. Furthermore, the Chittagong-Europe sea route officially resumed on February 7, 2022.