3 more vessels to join Shipping Corporation's fleet in six months

Export cargo

Chattogram, Dec 22 — Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain on Monday said that Bangladesh Shipping Corporation’s (BSC) fleet will be expanded with the addition of three new ships within the next six months.

The ships will be acquired using government funding and BSC’s own resources, he said while speaking at the 48th annual general meeting of BSC held at the Patenga Boat Club in Chattogram.

Dr. Sakhawat Hossain, who is also the Chairman of the BSC Board of Directors, said that BSC has purchased two bulk carrier ships for the first time using its own funds. The first ship, M.V. Banglar Pragati, has already joined the fleet and is engaged in trade, while the second, M.V. Banglar Navjatra, is scheduled to be added in January 2026.

He further said initiatives are underway to purchase two ready-made MR tankers with government funding and one ready-made bulk carrier with BSC’s own funding. A feasibility study has been completed through IIFC, and a development project proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Shipping.

To enhance the country’s energy security, a shipbuilding agreement has been signed with China on a G2G basis to construct two crude oil mother tankers with a capacity of 114,000 metric tons each and two mother bulk carriers with a capacity of 81,500 metric tons. A letter of consent for project financing has been received from the Chinese government, and the loan application is under process, he added.

In addition, plans are underway to acquire 12 cellular container ships with a capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 TEUs to boost participation in container transport. Of these, construction of six ships with support from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is already in progress, Dr. Sakhawat Hossain said.

Earlier, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek presented the financial report for the 2024-25 fiscal year at the AGM, stating that the corporation posted a net profit of Tk 306.56 crore after tax adjustment — the highest in its 54-year history. - UNB