Sandwip ferry link falters within a year

The ferry service connecting Chattogram's Sandwip island with the mainland at Sitakunda has run into serious operational problems barely a year after its launch, as tidal flooding, rapid siltation and poor maintenance of terminals and jetties disrupt services, limiting the transport link's benefits.

Launched in March 2025, the Banshbaria-Sandwip ferry provided a safer alternative to transport people and goods through the sea channel, meeting a long-drawn demand of the islanders.   

A recent visit found extensive damage and poor planning at both terminals, undermining the Tk120crore project's intended benefits for islanders and causing daily hardship for passengers and transport operators.

At Banshbaria, the low-water jetty built at the end of a 600-metre embankment road has already been damaged by tidal pressure and is now nearly unusable.

Passengers and transport operators described severe daily hardship as the mid-water terminal regularly goes underwater during high tide, forcing smaller vehicles to wait for hours before boarding.

Officials said siltation fills the channel almost every month, requiring continuous dredging to keep ferry operations running.

At Guptachhara in Sandwip, sections of the connecting road have already been damaged by tidal waves.

Drivers said buses and trucks often remain stranded for hours because submerged pontoons prevent unloading. Motorcycle riders frequently cross waist-deep water to board ferries, while narrow access roads regularly create traffic congestion.

TBS Illustration

Some transport operators also alleged irregularities in serial management, claiming brokers demand Tk500-600 for quicker access.

When contacted, BIWTA Executive Engineer Rishad Ahmed told The Business Standard that repair work on the mid-water ferry ramp is already underway and that he inspected the site yesterday along with the chief engineer and other officials.

"We are also working on the high-water ramp with support from the Bangladesh Army. It is expected to be operational within the next 10 to 15 days. Once it is opened, the existing problems will largely be resolved," he said.

Responding to allegations that a syndicate is extorting money from vehicle operators in exchange for earlier serials, Rishad said BIWTA has received such complaints but requires written submissions to investigate the matter.

"If anyone is facing this problem, they should file a written complaint. We will investigate the allegations and take action against those found responsible," he said.

On complaints about the narrow approach road linking the ferry terminal to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, he said the road does not fall under BIWTA's jurisdiction.

"We have discussed the matter with the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). They are the appropriate authority to decide whether the road will be widened or improved," he added.

Sandwip island's nearly 4,00,000 residents have long depended on speedboats or trawlers for risky rides through the Bay of Bengal channel to reach the mainland.

Demand for safer transport intensified after a passenger boat capsized near Sandwip on 2 April 2017, killing 18 people.

In 2022, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) took an initiative to launch a ferry route between Bakkhali in Sitakunda and Gachua in Sandwip. The state-owned entity had also started constructing a ferry terminal.

Following the formation of the interim government in 2024, adviser and Sandwip native Fauzul Kabir Khan initiated the ferry project. Ferry terminals were built at Banshbaria in Sitakunda and Guptachhara in Sandwip, and the service was inaugurated on 24 March 2025 amid festivity joined by five other advisers of the interim government.

Soon the demand surged, prompting the waterway authorities to operate the ferry services thrice a day before reducing to one due to tidal conditions.

In less than a month of inception, the shipping ministry asked the BIWTA to suspend ferry operations during the rainy season, citing adverse weather conditions that turn the sea rough. 

This decision ignited immediate protests, with hundreds of Sandwip residents staging a rally questioning the rationale behind halting ferry services while speedboats and smaller vessels continue to navigate the Sandwip route during the April-October period. Operational problems also emerged within months.

The Kopotakkho ferry once ran aground in September, the first such instance since the service opened in March, due to poor navigability, calling for regular dredging in the channel.

Officials said the ferry Kopotakkho was originally designed for inland river navigation, not rough sea channels like Sandwip. Even though it is operating without a mandatory bay-crossing certificate. 

Department of Shipping Director General Commodore Shafiul Bari said no vessel should operate in sea channels without bay-crossing approval and warned that authorities would be responsible if any accident occurs.

BIWTC officials admitted the ferry has been operating on the route for nearly a year without the certification.

No Environmental Impact Assessment or environmental clearance was obtained for the ferry project. The Department of Environment's Chattogram office said it had not even been informed about the project before construction began.

Professor Muslem Uddin warned that the 600-metre road extending into the sea could alter sedimentation patterns and damage nearby mangrove ecosystems.

Experts blame design flaws, absence of feasibility study

Transport and maritime experts said the problems were inevitable because the project was implemented without a proper technical assessment.

Transport engineering expert Engineer Subhash Barua said marine infrastructure projects require detailed technical design and feasibility analysis, which were ignored in this case.

Professor Muslem Uddin of the University of Chittagong's Oceanography Department said authorities ignored advice to conduct a proper feasibility study involving coastal experts.

According to him, Banshbaria is highly vulnerable to marine turbulence and unstable sediment movement, meaning the terminal will require constant dredging and costly repairs.

Under Bangladesh law, public projects exceeding Tk50 crore require a Development Project Proposal, feasibility review and Ecnec approval.

However, officials confirmed that despite spending more than Tk100 crore, no such approval process was followed.

Instead, funds were reportedly taken from the Roads and Highways Department's maintenance allocation and BIWTA's revenue budget.

Engineer Subhash Barua termed the spending "a direct violation of legal procedures."

BIWTA Superintending Engineer ASM Ashraful Zaman acknowledged that a BUET expert team had advised against constructing the terminal at Banshbaria because the location was unlikely to be sustainable.

He also admitted that monthly dredging costing around Tk23 lakh is now required to keep the route operational.

When asked about spending maintenance funds without a formal project, Abdul Halim, additional chief engineer of the Roads and Highways Department in Chattogram, told TBS that the expenditure was made "following ministry instructions."

Former adviser Fauzul Kabir Khan defended the project, claiming Buet engineers had visited the site and the work was implemented under army supervision. 

"The project was carried out through separate maintenance allocations rather than under a formal DPP", he told TBS.

Authorities, however, constructed another high-water terminal at an estimated cost of nearly Tk30 crore to reduce passenger suffering during high tide, which is yet to become operational.