Initiative on hajj pilgrimage by sea from Bangladesh undertaken

A local shipbuilding company has received the government's initial nod to operate a cruise ship on the Chattogram-Jeddah sea route to carry hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia at a comparatively affordable cost.

If the final approval comes, the company will purchase an old ship for the voyage. They want to use the vessel to operate 10 more trips to two other destinations as well. Karnaphuli Ship Builders Ltd has taken the initiative and the matter is now at the Prime Minister’s Office for final approval, sources said.

If the government allows it, they want to start the service from the hajj season of 2024. It would take a total of 37 days to complete Hajj formalities, including a 10-day voyage from Chattogram to Jeddah, a 17-day stay in Saudi Arabia for performing hajj, and a 10-day return voyage.

The idea of carrying pilgrims via sea was initiated considering the fact that the sea cruise to Saudi Arabia would cost less than travel by air. “The cost would be roughly Tk 1.5 lakh lower than the government-approved hajj package rate. Besides, for pilgrims, it would be convenient to travel in large groups together,” said Managing Director of the company Engineer MA Rashid.

Currently, the Philippines is the only country that uses a cruise ship to carry hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. All other countries send pilgrims by air.

Sources at the Ministry of Religious Affairs said they have agreed on principle to allow the ship to carry pilgrims. If the final approval comes, they would contact the Saudi Arabian counterpart to complete related formalities.

The current status

After the shipbuilding company approached the government with the proposal, it assigned the Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC) to conduct a feasibility study on the proposed services.

IIFC said that every year 3,500-4,000 hajj pilgrims could be carried by the cruise ship which approximately would cost $50 million. If a new ship is purchased that would cost more and take three years to build, which will not be feasible.

“This journey to Saudi Arabia by sea will cost Tk 1.5 lakh less than the air travel. The passengers will be provided with services equivalent to a five-star hotel. But carrying more than 4,000 pilgrims would spoil quality,” said IIFC Executive Director (Physical Infrastructure) Muhammad Shamsur Rahman.

He said that the ship would conduct a total of 11 trips in a year –one round trip for the pilgrims and five each for tourists on Chattogram-Phuket (Thailand)–Singapore and Chattogram-Chennai (India)-Male (Maldives) routes.

According to them, the government would annually earn Tk 150 crore in revenue from the ship that would have 750 employees.

At an inter-ministerial meeting held on January 29, Karnaphuli’s Managing Director MA Rashid said that the cost of the round voyage for a pilgrim would be Tk 70,000. “We will take care of everything for hajj pilgrims while they will be on

the ship.”

At the meeting, Md Mostafa Kamal, secretary to the Ministry of Shipping, cleared the proposal from his ministry’s side and suggested engaging the religious affairs, foreign affairs, home and civil aviation, and tourism ministries to take the initiative forward.

Contacted, Md Matiul Islam, additional secretary of the Religious Affairs ministry’s hajj wing, told The Business Post, “The ground works on the proposal have been completed. After final approval, we will contact the Saudi Arabian authorities concerned.”

“Bangladesh will have to sign agreements on carrying pilgrims by sea. Saudi Arabia will need to provide immigration facilities. I think the private company will have to purchase the ship first. We will have to get the specification of the ship to get international certifications to ply the ship on sea route,” he said.

Karnaphuli Ship Builders Managing Director MA Rashid said, “We will purchase the ship once the final approval comes. We will use the ship for two months to carry hajj pilgrims and for the rest of the year it will tour Asian countries.”