A cargo vessel – Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan — has arrived at Chattogram port from Pakistan’s Karachi, marking the first-ever direct maritime link between the two countries.
Carrying a diverse array of goods with an estimated 2,300 TEUs of capacity, the vessel’s voyage highlights the growing demand for direct trade between the two countries, said a statement of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner Syed Ahmed Maroof termed the direct shipping route a major step forward in enhancing bilateral trade and business ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh besides boosting a more integrated trade network across the region.
He said that the initiative will not only accelerate the existing trade flows but also promote new opportunities for businesses on both sides, from small traders to large exporters.
Sources in Chattogram Port said the container vessel arrived at the port on Monday and returned on the following day after discharging containers.
Regensea Lines Limited, a concern of Karnaphuli Limited, is the local agent of the vessel Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan.
Karnaphuli Group Senior Executive Director Anis Ud Dowla said the vessel arrived directly for the first time from Karachi as part of mainline service through Dubai-Karachi-Chattogram-Belawan.
It returned to the next destination after discharging the cargo, he added.
Bd-pratidin English/ Fariha Nowshin Chinika
