CHATTOGRAM, Jan. 11: MV "Banglar Nobojatra" seventh ship of the state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) is expected to join its fleet by January 31 next, said BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek.
Earlier the BSC- owned the sixth vessel MV Banglar Pragati arrived in Chattogram on December last year.
"The official delivery of the ship will be held on January 26 in London while the physical delivery will be held on January 30 in Chinese Ship yard," BSC MD said.
He said that the Ship MV "Banglar Nobojatra" will join the BSC fleet by January 31 next and will start commercial operation under chartered system from the Chinese shipyard.
Besides, these two ships, BSC has initiated the process to procure three more new ships with government funds by March next increasing the fleet to ten.
BSC acquired Banglar Pragati and Banglar Nobojatra, for Taka 936 crore through competitive bidding from US-based Hellenic Dry Bulk Ventures LLC.
Once home to 44 ships following its launch in 1972, BSC saw its fleet collapse over decades of mismanagement, shrinking to just two vessels by 2018.
Six new ships purchased with Chinese financing in 2018 and 2019 revived the fleet, but losses continued.
In 2018 and 2019, Bangladesh Shipping Corporation acquired six ships, three with financial support from the Chinese government totalling Tk 1,843 crore. This time, the corporation has purchased the two ships for Tk 935 crore using its own fund.
BSC aims to generate Tk 200 crore in annual revenue from these two new ships, sources said.
A milestone in BSC's 54-year history came last October when the corporation purchased a ship with its own funds.
The vessel, Banglar Pragati, marked the first time BSC procure a ship independently.
Historically, this is the first time a ship has been purchased with our own funds.
As part of this plan, another cargo vessel, Banglar Nobojatra, will join the fleet by the January 20 next. Two new cargo ships with capacities of 55,000-66,000 tonnes are expected to generate an annual revenue of Tk 150-200 crore. Currently, BSC fleet has six ships, and they have a plan to expand it to 22 mother vessels over the next five years.
Currently, there are a total of 102 national flag-carrying vessels in the country. Among them, only seven are owned by BSC, while the remaining 95 are privately owned.
Meanwhile, the has reported its highest-ever net profit in its 54-year history, posting Tk 306.56 crore for the 2024-25 financial year, driven by strong operating income and disciplined expenditure management.
The figures were disclosed at the state-owned shipping company's 48th annual general meeting, held in December 22.
