Tourist ship services to Saint Martin begin, three vessels get approval
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has approved three vessels to carry tourists to Saint Martin's Island. The approved vessels are MV Bar Aulia, MV Karnaphuli and MV Teknaf.
From Thursday morning (November 5), the vessels will begin sailing for Saint Martin from Nuniyarchhara ghat in Cox's Bazar.
The approval was announced in a letter signed on Wednesday noon (November 4) by Salma Afroze, deputy director of BIWTA's marine safety and traffic branch.
According to the ship owners, services are starting after approvals from the relevant government offices and the consent of the Cox's Bazar deputy commissioner. The three vessels together can carry a total of 2,298 passengers.
Under the fixed schedule, MV Bar Aulia will leave the Nuniyarchhara BIWTA jetty ghat in Cox's Bazar town at 7:00am and MV Karnaphuli at 7:15am. MV Teknaf will start its journey at 8:15am and is scheduled to reach Saint Martin at around 3:30pm.
The government has allowed tourists to visit Saint Martin for four and a half months from November 1 to March 15. Overnight stays on the island are also permitted during this period. However, a travel pass and a ticket with a QR code have been made mandatory for the trip.
Under the government decision, a maximum of 3,500 tourists can visit Saint Martin each day.
