Encouraged by the positive outcome of recent purchases, Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) now plans to procure four new ships, officials said on 8 April 2026.
The state-owned shipping line has strengthened its fleet with the addition of two new bulk carrier ships, earning an estimated Tk50 crore in revenue since their deployment.
The ships, MV Banglar Pragati and MV Banglar Navjatra, were delivered by China’s Jingjiang Nanyang Shipbuilding Co on 23 October 2025 and 29 January 2026, respectively.
MV Banglar Pragati now operates from Gdansk, Poland, while MV Banglar Navjatra is based in Singapore. Both ships are chartered at an average daily rate of around $20,000 (approximately Tk2.5 million).
At a press briefing on 8 April 2026 at BSC’s Chattogram office, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek discussed the corporation’s expansion strategy.
“We plan to acquire more ships to strengthen our fleet,” he said.
Recently, BSC signed loan agreements with Chinese partners for four ship projects. Additionally, an evaluation committee meeting was held for two product oil tanker projects, and various procurement activities for ships of different types and capacities are ongoing.
BSC currently operates seven ships under the Bangladesh flag, covering major ports in the United States, Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe. In the 2024-25 financial year, BSC reported a net profit of Tk306 crore on revenues of about Tk800 crore, the highest profit in its 54-year history.
Commodore Malek expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Shipping, the media, and other stakeholders for their continued support.
BSC has completed a loan agreement with Chinese partners to finance two crude oil mother tankers and two bulk carrier ships. The agreement was made on a government-to-government (G2G) basis. BSC also held an evaluation meeting on 2 April 2026 for the proposed acquisition of two product oil tanker ships, each with a capacity of 40,000–55,000 DWT. The project is now being prepared for presentation at the ECNEC meeting.
BSC continues its procurement activities to further expand its fleet, with plans to acquire ships of various types and capacities.
“BSC has adopted a ‘one-ship philosophy.’ If our capacity allows, we plan to purchase one ship each year with our own funding until 2030,” Commodore Malek said.
Regarding the financial impact of the Iran-Israel war, the Managing Director noted that BSC had benefited from rising ship charter rates.
Some of the corporation’s ships, which had a daily charter rate of $15,000 before the war, have seen their rates increase to $24,000–25,000 per day since the conflict began.
“We do not wish for a war situation in any way,” he said. “However, due to this war, the increase in ship charter rates has benefited us financially.”
