Container shipping service between Bangladesh-Europe commences

Direct shipping service between Bangladesh and Europe started with the container vessel sailing for Italy on Monday from the Chattogram port. Chairperson of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Rear Admiral M Shahjahan inaugurated the direct freight service from Jetty no. 4 of the new mooring terminal of the port. The vessel MV Songa Cheetah left for the port of Ravenna with 952 TEUs of export items consisting 98 percent Ready Made Garment (RMG) items and 2 percent handicraft items. The container vessel will take 16 days to reach its destination compared to 40 days through the transshipment route used earlier. The products will be delivered to other European nations from the Italian port. The direct freight service will also reduce the cost of shipment by close to 40 percent.

Initially, two ships will be transporting export goods from Chattogram on this route. The Italian shipping company Kalypso Compagnia di Navigazione has introduced direct service with two vessels namely Songa Cheetah and Cape Flores. About 98% of the export goods are readymade garments while the remaining 2% are handicrafts, and leather and jute products. Once the goods arrive at the Ravenna port, they will be delivered to various destinations in Europe as per the demand of the buyers, they added.