First direct container ship leaves Chattogram port for Italy

Staff Correspondent: Liberian-flagged ship MV Tsonga Cheetah sailed for Italy from Chattogram seaport with container-filled export goods. Through this Bangladesh started sending goods directly to Europe by sea.
Mohammad Rashed, chairman of Reliance Shipping and Logistics Limited, a local representative of the ship, told yesterday.
He said the ship carrying 952 TEUs of export load containers started its journey from Chattogram port at 2:55 pm yesterday. It will go directly to Italy. With this, direct export of goods from Bangladesh to Europe started.
He added that the ship has 98 percent readymade garments. The Tsonga Cheetah is expected to reach the Italian port of Ravenna in 15 to 16 days.
Mohammad Rashed said the launch of direct shipping would reduce costs by 40 percent. For now, a ship will sail from Bangladesh. If successful, the number of ships will be increased further in future.

Meanwhile, exporters say that sending goods directly from Bangladesh to Italy by sea is a landmark step. According to them, this will save time and money.

Industry officials and port officials say that up to now, various products including ready-made garments in Bangladesh have been exported to Europe through ports of other countries. We used to wait there for a long time to get the booking of a big ship. Thus, it took 40 to 45 days to reach Europe from Bangladesh. Besides, the cost would have been higher.

Italian shipping company Kalypso Compagnia di Navigazione SPA has introduced this new direct waterborne service between Chattogram and Ravenna with two small-sized vessels Songa Cheetah and Cape Flores.

A ship named Cap Flores arrived in Chattogram port on December 23 last year on an experimental voyage from Italy with an empty container.