Overcoming administrative complications, three tourist vessels have been granted approval to operate on the Cox’s Bazar–Saint Martin water route, paving the way for ship movements to resume on Thursday morning after a four-day suspension.
Once final preparations are complete, the vessels will depart from the BIWTA Jetty at Nuniyarchhara in Cox’s Bazar city bound for Saint Martin’s Island, reopening passenger travel to the island.
The approval was formally communicated on Wednesday afternoon through an official letter signed by Salma Afroz, Deputy Director of the Maritime Safety and Traffic Division of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). The three approved vessels- MV Baro Aulia, MV Karnafuli, and MV Teknaf have a combined capacity to transport a maximum of 2,298 passengers simultaneously.
Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the ship owners’ organisation, Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh (SCOAB), confirmed the development at around 10pm on Wednesday.
He said that the approved ships are making preparations to sail from Thursday morning, noting that with the necessary permissions secured, there are no further impediments to ship movements, and they will depart from Cox’s Bazar according to the set schedule.
Among the approved ships, MV Baro Aulia has a passenger capacity of 850, MV Karnafuli can carry 732, and MV Teknaf has a capacity of 716.
According to the official timetable, MV Baro Aulia is scheduled to leave Cox’s Bazar ghat at 7am and reach Saint Martin at 2:30pm. MV Karnafuli will depart at 7:15am and is scheduled to return from Saint Martin ghat at 2:15pm. Meanwhile, MV Teknaf will set sail from Cox’s Bazar at 8:15am and is set to arrive at the island at 3:30pm.
Earlier, on 25 October, a gazette notification from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had announced that Saint Martin’s Island would open to tourists from 1 November.
However, as the required vessel operation clearances were delayed, tourist ship movements remained suspended for four days from the scheduled date. Preparations to start vessel operations from Thursday were finalized following approvals from various government agencies and the consent of the Cox’s Bazar District Commissioner.
Under government regulations, tourists are permitted to visit and stay overnight on Saint Martin’s Island for four and a half months, from 1 November to 15 March. To travel to the island, visitors must obtain travel permits and tickets featuring QR codes as before, with a strict cap of a maximum of 3,500 tourists daily allowed on the island.
Several environmental regulations remain enforced to safeguard the island’s biodiversity. At night, lighting up the beach and surrounding areas, creating loud noises, and organising barbecue parties are prohibited. Entering Keya groves (screw-pine forests), as well as picking, buying, or selling Keya fruit, is strictly banned.
Additionally, causing harm to marine biodiversity—including sea turtles, birds, corals, snails, mussels, starfish, horseshoe crabs, seagrass, and algae—is forbidden, and the ban on operating vehicles such as motorcycles and sea-bikes on the beach remains in effect.
