Chattogram Bureau :
The container vessel MV ship Songa Cheetahof Italy left the Chattogram port for the Port of Ravenna in Italy with 952 TEUs containers of export goods on Monday.This is the first time a ship will directly carry goods from the Chattogram port to a European port, taking only 16 days time.
About 98% of the export products on Songa Cheetah are readymade garments and the remaining 2% are handicrafts, leather and jute products. Once the goods reach the Port of Ravenna, they will be delivered to various destinations in Europe as per the buyers’ demand, said an spokesman of Reliance shipping and Logistics Limited.
According to shipping agents, currently, feeder vessels first transport Bangladeshi goods from the Chattogram port to transhipment ports – Colombo, Singapore, and Tanjung Pelepas and Port Klang of Malaysia – and some ports in China. There, the containers are loaded onto bigger vessels before they are sent to their final destinations in Europe. It takes around 40 days to carry goods from Bangladesh to Italy in this way.The new direct shipping route between Bangladesh and Italy will decrease the transportation time by around 24 days and save costs by 40%, port users sources said..
“Considering the importance of garment exports, the Chattogram Port Authority will prioritise ships on Italy-Bangladesh route in providing facilities, including berthing and key gantry crane,” said Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, chairman of Chattogram Port Authority, at the inauguration of the Bangladesh-Italy direct marine route.
