After a prolonged suspension, tourist ships have resumed operations from Cox’s Bazar to Saint Martin’s Island. On Thursday morning (November 5), three vessels carrying more than 800 tourists set sail for the island after receiving government approval. The ships are MV Baro Aulia, MV Karnaphuli and MV Teknaf.
On Wednesday (November 4), Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Ship Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh (SCOAB), confirmed the resumption of ship services. He said the decision had been made to resume operations from Thursday morning after completing all necessary preparations, regardless of the number of tourists.
According to relevant sources, the government had reopened Saint Martin’s Island to tourists from November 1. However, ship services could not resume until now due to various administrative and approval-related complications. The situation was eventually resolved after obtaining approvals from the Department of Shipping, the Department of Environment and other relevant government agencies, along with consent from the Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner.
The ships will depart for Saint Martin’s Island carrying tourists from Nuniachhara Ghat on the banks of the Bakkhali River in Cox’s Bazar town. The three approved vessels have a combined passenger capacity of 2,298. MV Baro Aulia can carry 850 passengers, MV Karnaphuli 732 and MV Teknaf 716.
According to the designated schedule, MV Baro Aulia will depart Cox’s Bazar at 7:00 am and return from Saint Martin’s Island at 2:30 pm. MV Karnaphuli will leave at 7:15 am and return at 2:15 pm. Meanwhile, MV Teknaf will depart at 8:15 am and leave the island for Cox’s Bazar at 3:30 pm.
Under the government’s revised guidelines, tourists will be allowed to travel to Saint Martin’s Island and stay overnight from November 1 until March 15 next year. However, a maximum of 3,500 tourists will be permitted to visit the island each day. Each tourist must pay an environmental conservation fee of Tk 100. A travel pass and QR code-enabled ticket have also been made mandatory for visitors.
Although the island has been reopened to tourists, several restrictions remain in place to protect its environment and biodiversity. Under the guidelines, lighting fires or using lights on the beach and surrounding areas at night, creating excessive noise and organising barbecue parties are prohibited. Entering the coastal vegetation areas, as well as collecting, buying or selling fruits from the keora trees, is also prohibited.
In addition, visitors are prohibited from harming any of the island’s natural resources or biodiversity, including sea turtles, birds, corals, snails, shells, starfish, horseshoe crabs, seagrass and algae. All types of vehicles, including motorcycles and sea bikes, are also banned from operating on the beach.
Tourism-related businesses hope that the resumption of passenger ship services after a lengthy suspension will generate renewed enthusiasm among people interested in visiting Saint Martin’s Island. However, they also stress the importance of strictly following government directives to protect the island’s environment and biodiversity alongside the revival of tourism activities.