Season’s 1st ship with 800 tourists reaches St Martin’s island

COX’S BAZAR, Nov 05: Tourist ship services between Cox’s Bazar and St Martin’s Island resumed on Thursday after an eight-month suspension, with the first vessel of the season reaching the island after nearly six hours of sailing through rough sea conditions.

The MV Baro Auliya departed from the BIWTA jetty at Nuniarchhara in Cox’s Bazar at around 7:40am on November 5 and reached St Martin’s at approximately 1:45pm.

Bangladesh Tourism Board’s Public Relations Officer Md Borhan Uddin said 886 passengers had purchased tickets and obtained travel permits for the first day’s journey. 

But, officials from Department of Environment and Cox’s Bazar district administration and BIWTA Traffic Inspector Tofazzel Hossain informed that at least 83o passengers travelled to the island.

Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh (SCOAB), said more than 800 passengers had travelled on the vessel and everyone who purchased tickets had boarded.

An official of the MV Bar Auliya acknowledged that at least 20 journalists travelled without tickets, along with tourist inspectors and around 50 government officials.

The vessel, which has a passenger capacity of 850, was reportedly carrying fewer than 1,000 people.
Upon arrival, island residents and tourism-related businesspeople welcomed the visitors with flowers and sweets at the jetty.