For the first time after the opening of the Padma Bridge, garment products have been shipped through the Mongla seaport in Bagerhat. A Panama-flagged vessel named MV Marks Nesona has left the Mongla port at 11 am on Thursday carrying garment products manufactured in various establishments in Dhaka, Gazipur, Savar, and Narayanganj.
The port authorities and shipping agents have said that the shipment of garment products through the Mongla port is a new milestone for the port. Mustafa Kamal, Director (Traffic) of the Mongla port, said that this is the first time that garment products have been shipped through the Mongla port after the opening of the Padma Bridge. Previously, only a few garment products were shipped through Mongla. Before the bridge, it was necessary to wait for a long time for ferry crossings. As a result, many importers were not interested in using the Mongla port. Now, with reduced time and distance, it will be easier and faster to import goods through this port.
It has been reported according to port sources that garments including children’s clothing such as dresses, jerseys, cardigans, t-shirts, trousers, and various other garments manufactured in 27 factories in the country are being shipped to Poland in Eastern Europe by a ship. After the opening of the Padma Bridge, these products from the Dhaka factories are being transported to Mongla via the road network within a short time. Yesterday, on Wednesday, loading of the containers carrying the products started on the MV Marks Nesonah ship located at jetty number 8 of the port.
Padma Bridge has started a new era of exporting garment products.
The port authority and shipping agents are saying that the Padma Bridge has reduced the distance from Dhaka to Mongla port by road. Currently, the distance from Mongla is 170 kilometers, whereas the distance from Chittagong port is 260 kilometers. With faster and safer ship handling, businesspeople are saving time and money by reducing the distance between Dhaka and Mongla. As a result, there is increasing demand for imports and exports through Mongla port.
The Chairman of Mongla Port Authority, Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa, said that a new milestone has been set for the journey of ships carrying garment products to Mongla port. After the inauguration of the Padma Bridge by the Prime Minister, the first shipment of garment products is being transported from Dhaka to Mongla port by road. The ship will carry the products of various garment companies in containers to the country of Poland in Europe. He hopes that this trend of imports and exports will continue to grow in the future.
It has been reported that up until May of the 2021-22 fiscal year, a total of 1,46,746 metric tons of goods were handled in containers at the Mongla port, while the amount of cargo loaded in containers was 69,654 metric tons. Officials in the garment industry are hoping for an increase in imports and exports through the port, which is heavily dependent on garment shipments.
CNF and shipping agent Syed Jahid Hossain said that in Chittagong, there is often a delay in loading and unloading goods due to the pressure on ships. However, there is no such pressure at the Mongla port. After the shipment of these garment products, many more are expected to be interested in using this port for their shipments.
