The government authorities concerned are not taking any action against the shipping firms which have failed to press into service the container vessels even four years after receiving the necessary licences, sources in the shipping circles said.
Officials at the Department of Shipping (DoS) said the department could not reach any decision about the shipping companies that have failed to make any initial progress in making or bringing container ships even after the expiry of several deadlines. They said the licensees' strong political connections are acting as deterrent to any official action.
The government, as part of its promises to lessen pressure on the Dhaka-Chittagong trading route, awarded licences to 32 local companies in September 2011 for importing or making container vessels.
But the licence-holders have failed to comply with the necessary formalities, including invoice-and ship-specification copies, as regards bringing vessels for the Inland Container Terminal (ICT) by the recurrent deadlines.
In the face of frequent failures by the companies, the DoS had ordered them to comply with the necessary documents by April 30 last. The directive carried a note of warning about licence cancellation for further failings.
Chief Engineer of the DoS Fakrul Islam said only 10 licence-holders had fully fulfilled the requirements, 10 other companies made little progress on papers only and the rest 12 made no progress at all over the years.
Asked whether licences of the errant shipping firms would be cancelled on not, the chief engineer made a pause, and then said they would place the report in the meeting of the 6-member committee in this respect for taking decision.
The special committee, headed by the shipping minister, will meet Monday (July 7th) for taking decision over the fate of the defaulters.
Seeking anonymity, another senior official at the DoS said most of the licences were given "on political considerations", without analysing capacity in their respected fields. And that is causing the delays.
"The licence-holders are too much powerful and the department doesn't have the courage to take any strict action against the shipping firms. The special committee might consider another spell of time extension as it did on several occasions in the past," he said.
Such inordinate delays in the process of bringing container-carrying ships have left in the lurch government's plan to use the rivers in and around the capital to transport imports and exports.
Industry-insiders and shipping experts have blamed issuance of operating licences for container-carrying vessels largely on political considerations for the failure.
They said the authorities should have considered two key factors -- experience level and companies' capabilities --- before awarding them licence.
When contacted, Managing Director of Shipwrights Resources Limited (SRL) Mahboob Ahmed expressed his frustration over the slow progress.
"The government had chosen wrong people who have no knowledge about the business which will be linked with international trades," he said.
He also said government's wrong policy is responsible for the negativity at Pangaon ICT (inland container terminal) as low-quality ships, which have no insurance coverage, brought by the Chittagong Port for the ICT sparked concerns among the traders.
"So, the licence-holders are afraid of making such investment in this regard," he added.
Of the licensees, some 15 companies approached local shipbuilders and 10 gave orders to make such vessels.
Talking to the FE, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Western Marine Shipyard Shahidul Bashar said they received orders for making 12 ships from six companies. The cos: MR Global, Meer & Islam Enterprise, Bancan Shipping, Navstar Shipping Ltd, Blue Water Shipping, Aryan Traders, SS Traders, Nipa Paribahan Ltd, Khulna Shipyard Ltd of Bangladesh Navy and Chittagong Dry Dock Ltd.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), one of the licence-holders, will procure four container ships from Khulna Shipyard and Chittagong Dry Dock for operating to and fro Pangaon ICT.
Executive Director of FMC Group Pankaj Datta said they started making ship for Bismillah Marine Services and secured manufacturing orders from three more firms.
The need for alternative mode of transport was urgently felt in 2010 when the country's foreign trade soared 43 per cent to US$52 billion, with Chittagong seaport handling some 90 per cent of the cargoes.
According to an ADB study, Bangladesh's GDP could grow more than one per cent and external trade by 20 per cent if the inland water-transport logistics were made efficient and competitive.
