Luxury cruise ship MV Bay One to start journey on Ctg-St Martin’s route from 8 Dec
The luxury cruise ship MV Bay One is set to commence its journey on the Chattogram-Saint Martin's route from 8 December with one trip a week on Thursday at 10pm.
The seven-storey star cruise ship of the Karnaphuli Cruise Line will depart from Patenga and reach St Martin's Friday morning.
It will stay on the island one night before leaving for Chattogram at 10am on Saturday. It will arrive at Chattogram in the evening, the Karnaphuli Cruise Line authorities said at a press conference on Wednesday at the Patenga Water Bus Terminal.
Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited Managing Director Engineer MA Rashid addressed the press conference.
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Centrally air conditioned, the 400-foot long MV Bay One has all the facilities of a luxury ship – from simple chairs to luxurious cabins, rooftop buffet with multiple traditional restaurants, ice cream parlours and coffee bars, and brand shops.
MA Rashid said, "The ship consumes fuel worth more than Tk25 lakh a day. We incurred a loss of around Tk10-12 crore since the launch of the ship. I wanted to stop once, but the shipping minister said, 'If it is stopped, no one will ever launch this ship in Bangladesh'.
"We have 2 lakh square kilometres of ocean but we are not paying enough attention to this. Japan is earning billions by exporting fish…If we do not look after the marine resources, we will face a difficult situation. Not only fish, there are many sectors related to the sea."
There are more than 100 sailors to operate the ship and serve the tourists.
Those who want to go to Cox's Bazar without returning to Chattogram from St Martin's island can board the company's MV Karnaphuli Express and the new MV Baro Aulia. The cruise to St Martin's also offers a view of the entire coral island, Chheradwip and breathtaking sunsets, officials at the press conference said.
The 1,800-seat ship with international standard maritime safety has all safety equipment, including life jackets and life buoys, for the safety of its passengers.
