1,111 reconditioned cars arrive from Japan

A total of 1,111 reconditioned cars of various Japanese brands arrived in Bangladesh from Singapore on 14 September.

Initially, 316 of these cars were offloaded from the foreign commercial vessel "MV Malaysia Star" at Chattogram port on Thursday (14 September) and the rest 795 cars were offloaded at Mongla port on Saturday (16 September).

"Importing cars contributes significantly to government revenue, making Mongla port a vital hub for customs and port authorities," importers told the Business Standard.

These reconditioned cars from various Japanese brands, including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Aqua, Prado, and minivans, were initially shipped from ports in Japan such as Nagoya, Yokohama, and Osaka to the port of Singapore.

And from Singapore, the vessel MV Malaysia Star set sail on 9 September, destined for the ports of Chattogram and Mongla in Bangladesh.

These cars will be sold to local importers in Dhaka and various showrooms across the country, said the shipping agent of the ship.

Prior to this, on 15 August, approximately 800 cars were unloaded at the Mongla port by the same commercial vessel "MV Malaysia Star".

"Opening of the Padma Bridge and improvements in road infrastructure have reduced the distance between Mongla port and Dhaka, taking only about 3 hours to commute, while earlier it would take 12-14 hours," says Saiful Islam Samrat, local shipping agent and the manager of M/s Trust Auto Car Company Ltd.

Moreover, Mongla port offers more facilities and advantages than other ports in the country, attracting domestic and foreign importers, he further added.

Additionally, a significant portion of machinery and industrial equipment for large-scale projects in the country is now being unloaded through Mongla port. This is due to the time and expenditure it saves, as stated by Saiful Islam Samrat.

It's worth noting that the initiative to bring reconditioned cars to Mongla port began in 2009 when Hock Bee Auto Mobile Company imported 255 reconditioned cars, and now approximately 70% of cars imported into the country are being unloaded through Mongla port.