BIWTC to start river cruise service with idle passenger ship

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) is planning to launch a dine-in river cruise service with their ship MV Modhumoti after Eid-ul-Azha vacation in collaboration with a private company.

The BIWTC move comes with an aim to ensure the ship’s use in earning revenues as the state-owned corporation has been suffering from passenger-loss since the inauguration of Padma Bridge last year.

In September last year, BIWTC wrapped up its passenger services on inland routes from the capital citing losses because of a small number of passengers. Their two ships MV Modhumoti and MV Bangali have been out of regular service since then.

Prior to that, in March 2019, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), the authority that controls the inland water transport in Bangladesh, commenced cruise ship service from Dhaka to Kolkata but it gained criticism for poor service. Ultimately, the project was closed down.

The inland ship, commissioned in 2015, has a capacity of 750 passengers and will now be used for short cruises near Dhaka with guests for entertainment.

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury will inaugurate the ‘Madhumati River Cruise Service’ on Tuesday evening at Dhaka Sadarghat Launch Terminal.

New plan

SM Ashikuzzaman, director (Commerce) of BIWTC, said Dhaka- Barishal inland service started losing passengers after Padma Bridge inauguration as journey by road is now taking less time. The scenario is similar for private launch services.

Authorities were looking for ways to utilise the idle ships, which led to the collaboration with Powerbits Limited under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Initially they have plans to operate short cruises two-three days a week. The ship will start with passengers in the evening from Buriganga River in the evening for a three to four hours cruise. The guests will have dinner, enjoy a cultural show on board.

The crusie service will also offer different packages to the passengers. The price and packages will be determined soon following negotiation with the partner company.

“We will start the service hopefully after the Eid vacation, probably following the Eid day,” he said.

Asked about the partnership, he said the BIWTC will take care of fuel cost, salary of its crew and other expenditure while Powerbits will be responsible for the hospitality services like catering, housekeeping. They will also execute the advertisement and campaign plans to attract passengers and sell tickets.

“After calculating the expenses, we will distribute the revenue in a 70-30 per cent ratio. We will take the lion’s part,” the official said.

If the project fails to earn expected revenue, the financial burden will be shared in the same ratio, he added.

A Bangladeshi private shipbuilding company constructed MV Modhumoti for Tk 27 crore, while its two engines were imported from Japan.