BSC ship set to sail
Banglar Urmi, a cargo vessel of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) lying idle for 27 months, is set to sail on Monday after being repaired for five months under management of Army Welfare Trust.
BSC chartered its two ships -- Banglar Urmi and Banglar Gourav -- each around 13,000 deadweight tonnage, to the trust five months ago through a five-year contract of US $ 500 per day for each under Bareboat Charter.
Under the charter, the trust would bear all voyage related costs, including vessel fuel, port dues, operations, maintenance, appointing crews and insurance.
After signing a Memorandum of Understanding, the trust began repairing the vessels, aided by BSC engineering department, using local technology to make them fit for sailing. The trust would use the ships to transport goods produced by its different factories, said sources.
Major General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, chairman of Management Committee of Army Welfare Trust, visited Banglar Urmi anchored at River Mooring No-10 in Patenga of Chittagong yesterday to oversee repair works.
The trust Managing Director Brig Gen Arif Ahmed Chowdhury and BSC Managing Director Commodore Moksumul Kader accompanied him.
Arif, talking to reporters, said repairing the two ships would cost less than the presumed Tk 15 crore due to use of local technology and Banglar Gourav would likely go into operation at the end of June.
Moksumul said BSC was not able to “provide” such a big amount to repair the ships.
Mentionable, BSC bought the ships in the 1980s.
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