CHITTAGONG: The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) is going to procure a ship by May this year after a long gap of 26 years.
The new 36,000 DWT (dead weight tonnage) chemical/crude oil tanker will join the BSC fleet by May 2017, said Managing Director of BSC Commodore Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan.
The tanker is a part of a plan to procure two more crude oil tankers of 30,000 to 35,000 DWT under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the BSC with the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC).
Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan was exchanging views with reporters at the BSC head office in the port city on the occasion of holding the 39th AGM (annual general meeting) of the shareholders Wednesday.
The state-owned Corporation has currently three vessels named MT Banglar Jyoti, MT Banglar Sourav and MV Banglar Shikha. Banglar Shikha was the last vessel the BSC had procured from China in 1991.
The BSC had as many as 38 vessels of which 35 vessels were sold. Of the three, two tankers already crossed 30 years of age while the rest is 26-year old.
BSC officials said the existing three vessels have become almost inoperative but they are still running those as they have no other alternative as the national sea-going flag carrier.
Bhuiyan said the government has planned to build up the BSC fleet with procurement of more vessels to restore its past glory. Under this plan, the BSC has signed MoU for buying six new ships (three new product oil tankers and three new bulk carriers) with funds from the Chinese government.
Each of these vessels will have holding capacity of 39,000 metric tons, he said adding that the first installment of the credit has already been paid up.
The ships are expected to join the BSC fleet from May to December, 2018.
As the government has planned to set up a number of coal-based power plants, it will have to import 0.45 million (4,50,000) metric tons of coal every month for each plant.
A memorandum of understanding for construction and supply of six mother bulk carriers of minimum 80,000 DWT each and 10 bulk carriers of 10,000 to 15,000 DWT each was signed in September 2016 between the BSC and China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd.
Another MoU for construction and supply of two LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers between the BSC and Chinese Institute of Marine and Offshore Engineering HB Co Ltd was signed in January 2017.
