Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Bangladesh's state minister for shipping, on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said the ferry, Rajanigandha, capsized in the Padma River near Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj after being hit by a bulkhead.“Primarily, it is known that the ferry was anchored near the ghat and a bulkhead hit the ferry,” he said while talking to reporters at the secretariat. The actual reason could be known after getting probe report, he said. Ferry driver missing after it capsizes with vehicles in Padma River“Rajanigandha ferry is a utility ferry and there were a small number of vehicles on it. When vehicles started to board it ,the authorities usually maintain balance and whether the authorities followed it properly at that time it will be known later,” said the minister.The ferry authorities said they anchored the ferry due to dense fog and when they started their journey around 1:30 am from Daulatpur ghat the sky was clear but when they reached near Paturia they experienced poor visibility due to dense fog, he said.A secretary-level officer is on the spot and he will take necessary steps, said Khalid.Mentioning that Bulkhead is needed for transporting goods, the minister said, “The ministry is looking how to modernize those and register those and the Department of Shipping (DoS) is working on it.” Daulatdia-Paturia ferry services resume after 7 hoursA man identified as Humayun Kabir, 39, second master of the ferry, went missing as the ferry on the Daulatdia-Paturia route with nine trucks capsized near No 5 ghat in Paturia of Manikganj district earlier today.

Matarbari could become a regional commercial hub after the deep sea port opens. It will be used as a transshipment port. After Chittagong port, Matarbari will also be a lifeline of the economy. The Matarbari deep sea port will serve about 3 billion people of the region, including Bangladesh. Once fully operational, the port will contribute two to three percent of the country’s GDP, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury told UNB. The deep sea port is now visible. If work continues at this pace, Matarbari deep sea port could be operational from 2026. Construction of the jetty and container yard will start by July. A large number of feeder vessels will come to this port. Money and time will be saved. It will have a great impact on the economy, said the state minister for shipping. He said the port is being constructed on 1,031 acres of land at Matarbari Dhalghat area of Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar. With the construction of the deep sea port, container ships with a capacity of 8,200 TEU will be able to anchor there. Read more: Operation of Matarbari deep sea port to start in 2026: state minister At present, it takes 45 days to send a consignment of goods from Bangladesh to the United States. Once Matarbari deep sea port is opened, it will reach the designated destination directly in just 23 days, the state minister said. Bangladeshi consignments will no longer have to wait at the ports of Singapore, Colombo and Malaysia. According to the Chittagong Port Authority, commercial activities at Matarbari deep sea port are expected to start in full swing in 2026. But already over the last two years, 112 cargo ships have arrived at the port. Tk 6.84 crore has been collected from these ships. All equipment for power plant has come through Matarbari port. Due to the depth, any large commercial ship will be able to anchor at this port and there are all kinds of facilities for loading and unloading. Matarbari is 34 nautical miles from Chittagong port. It takes two-three hours to reach by ship. Its distance by road is about 112 km. A 27 km road is being constructed from Chakaria in Cox’s Bazar to Matarbari Dhalghat. Meanwhile, land acquisition for the construction of roads and port has been completed. The channel built for the port is 250 meters wide, 18.5 meters deep and 14.3 meters long. Read More: Ambassador Lee visits Matarbari Coal-powered Plant to observe South Korean company’s construction work The detailed design of the project has been completed. Besides, contractors are being appointed for the construction of the jetty, collection of ship handling equipment and the purchase of tug boats. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally inaugurate the construction work of the project in the middle of this year. Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan told UNB that Matarbari’s distance from Chattogram by sea is 34 nautical miles, from Payra port it’s 190 nautical miles, and from Mongla port it’s 240 nautical miles. Therefore, goods from the mother vessel (large container ship) in Matarbari can be transported to other ports by road and sea in a short time. He also said at present, ships with a draft of only 9.5 metres can berth in the jetties of Chittagong port. However, recently a ship with 10-metre draft has been berthed there. But these ships can carry 800 to a maximum of 2400 TEU containers. A mother vessel has a capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 TEU. Once Matarbari deep sea port opens, container ships with a capacity of over 8,000 TEU will be able to anchor. Read More: Operation of Matarbari deep sea port to start in 2026: state minister The state minister for shipping said the Matarbari Port Development Project has been taken up at an estimated cost of Tk 17,777.20 crore to set up the country’s first and only deep sea port. The duration of this project is till December 31, 2026. After the approval of the project, the implementation process was started. He also said the construction of the 14.30 km long approach channel with a length of 350 metres and a depth of 16 metres has been completed for the construction of the deep sea port. Besides, the construction of 2,150 metre long breakwater on the north side of the approach channel and 670-metre-long breakwater on the southern side has been completed. At present, tenders have been invited in three packages for the construction of a 460 metre long container jetty and a 300 metre long multipurpose jetty and construction of all port facilities, including container yards. According to project sources, Matarbari port road is being constructed in three phases. A 27 km road from Matarbari to Fasiakhali in Chakaria will be constructed and it will be connected to the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar four-lane highway. The construction period of the road has been fixed from January 2020 to December 2026. If this road is completed, goods can be transported to any place in the country by road. Read More: Govt positive about Singapore company's 400MW Matarbari solar power plant proposal: Nasrul

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has said that three more marine academies will be established alongside the existing five to create skilled marine cadets. Khalid said this at a meeting of the marine academies held at the meeting room of the Shipping Ministry in the capital on Monday. “There are currently a total of five marine academies in the country in Barishal, Rangpur, Sylhet, Pabna and Chattogram. Among them, the marine academy in Chattogram is an old one while the rest are newly built. We’ll establish three more marine academies as per the instruction of the Prime Minister,” said Khalid. The State Minister added that there are some challenges with the new marine academies that need to be overcome. “Mariners earn a large amount of foreign currencies working in foreign ships. That’s why we’ve decided to set up new marine academies which will create skilled marine cadets who will in turn help the development process of Bangladesh by supplying much-needed foreign currencies,” added Khalid. Read: Each division to get one marine academy: Hasina A total of 359 marine cadets from the 54th batch of Bangladesh Marine Academy have got jobs in various local and foreign ships after graduating in February. Among them, many female cadets have secured jobs in American, Australian and Singaporean ships. The State Minister also said the four newly established marine academies have received affiliations from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University. At the meeting, discussions were held on recruiting manpower, formulating a budget, buying simulators and acquiring land for the newly established marine academies.   Md Mostafa Kamal, Secretary of the Shipping Ministry, and other senior officials of the ministry were present at the meeting. 

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Friday requested passengers to take Paturia route in Manikganj instead of Shimulia to cross the Padma during Eid journey as a lower number of ferries are in service at Shimulia. There are 10 ferries on service in Shimulia of Munshiganj, 21 in Paturia of Manikganj and four in Aricha. In the morning there is extra pressure of passengers and vehicles in Shimulia terminal, said the state minister while inspecting the Shimulia launch and ferry terminal at Munshiganj. Also read:Mad rush of homebound people at Shimulia ferry ghat As per the previous instructions, heavy vehicles are not being allowed to cross the ferry in Shimulia and only small vehicles are being ferried at Shimulia terminal, he said. “I am requesting to use Paturia route instead of Shimulia to avoid additional traffic congestion.” Considering the overall safety of the Padma Bridge, 10 good quality ferries have been in service at Shimulia terminal, said Khalid. “I request you to follow the instructions of the government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will open the Padma Bridge for traffic in the next few months.”

The government is giving utmost importance to ensure the safety of the stranded Bangladeshi crew members of Banglar Samriddhi in Ukraine, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday. “Extensive diplomatic level activities are going on to rescue them or shift them to a safer place,” he said while briefing reporters at the secretariat. “After engineer Hadisur Rahman’s death 28 Bangladeshi crew remained stranded in the ship. His body has been preserved but bringing it back to Bangladesh will depend on the war situation in Ukraine,” the state minister added. Also read: Ukraine conflict: Bangladeshi killed in rocket attack on ship  Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said the government will support Hasidur’s family in every possible way. He said, “I had discussions with the secretary of the ministry Mohammad Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, managing director of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation Commodore Sumon Mahmud Sabbir, officials of Bangladesh Embassy in Poland and the captain of MV Banglar Samriddhi. We have urged the crew members not to take any wrong step out of fear as their safety is our first priority.” “Our merchant ship was not supposed to be attacked but it came under a missile attack anyway. When we will be confirmed which side launched the attack we will comment on it. Currently, we are making necessary diplomatic communications through the Ministry of ForeignAffairs,” said the state minister. He said the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is also worried after the incident and gave directives to ensure safety of the stranded crew members. On Wednesday, Md Hadisur Rahman, 47, third engineer of Banglar Samriddhi was killed in a rocket attack on a BSC vessel stranded at Ukrainian Port of Olvia, located in the Mykolaiv region on the left bank of the Dnipro-Bug estuary on the northern Black Sea coast. Also read: Sole bread earner gone, sailor's family now stares at uncertain future All 29 crew on-board were Bangladeshis. Banglar Samriddhi, now caught in the fighting in Ukraine, reached Olvia on February 22 to load ball clay, according to the BSC.

A survey is underway to assess the feasibility of building a tunnel alongside Bangabandhu Bridge as an alternative passage under the Jamuna River, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury. Talking to reporters at the secretariat on Wednesday during an event organized by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF), he said an alternative passage along the Bangabandhu Bridge is needed. “A feasibility study is underway. If its results are found to be positive, then the country's second tunnel after the Karnaphuli one will be built there,” he said. Read Karnaphuli Tunnel Project makes "breakthrough" amid Covid-19 About the encroached lands along the river banks, he said, “We want to give some time to the industrial establishments on the river banks as they’ve made huge investments there. Government lands have been demarcated while notices have been issued to the encroachers in this regard.” To secure 10,000 kilometers of waterways, illegal establishments have been removed from nearby rivers, the state minister said, adding that 3,000 kilometers of waterways have already been secured.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Friday said the ferries that ply the Shumulia-Banglabazar Ferry Ghat route will install an outer layer of rubber for the security of the Padma Bridge. The layer of rubber will act to cushion the blow from the vessels' bodies on the concrete pillars. “An order has been issued to install outer rubber layers on ferries,” he said after visiting Shimulia Ferry Ghat in Munshiganj. The state minister said they feel embarrassed at the alarming frequency with which vessels have been hitting the pillars of the Padma Bridge. “Steps have been taken in this regard. There were some instructions. But we noticed laxity to some extent in following the instructions,” he said adding that they would sit in a high-level meeting soon to decide the next steps to prevent any recurrence of such incidents. Read: 20 hurt as ferry hits Padma bridge pillar

The government banned movement of ferries with heavy vehicles under the Padma Bridge until strong current of the river is brought under control, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Tuesday. However, ferries with light vehicles can move only on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route, said the minister while talking to reporters at the Secretariat. “It is difficult to move ferries with heavy vehicles during strong current on Shimulia-Banglabazar route. So only light vehicles and ambulance carrying ferries can cross the river till further notice,” he said. Also read: Ferry hits Padma Bridge pillar: BIWTC forms probe committee People have been asked to use Paturia-Daulatdia ghat and Harina ghat in Chandpur for vehicles and the number of ferries will be increased on those routes, he added. “It is so unfortunate that a number of collisions occurred with pillars of the under-construction Padma Bridge which is so embarrassing,” said the state minister. The government has taken the decision after the collision of a ferry with a pillar of under-construction Padma Bridge. Earlier in the day Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) suspended the master and the Sukani of Ro Ro Birsreshtha Jahangir over the incident of the ferry hitting the pillar Padma Bridge. Also read: 20 hurt as ferry hits Padma bridge pillar The suspended were identified as Master Inland Master officer Mohammad Delwarul Islam and Wheel Sukani Mohamamd Abul Kalam Azad. Besides, a five-member probe body led by joint secretary Rashedul Islam, Director (technical) of BIWTC, was formed to look into the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its report with recommendation within three working days. Two other incidents of ferry colliding with the bridge’s pillar occurred in July and August.

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, the state minister for shipping, has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder on Sunday suggested digging canals in Dhaka city alongside constructing walkways, green fences on both sides and handing them over to the two city corporations through a memorandum of understanding.