Bangladesh to buy 2 bulk carrier ships from US for Tk 935 crore

The government has approved the purchase of two bulk carrier ships from the United States, each with a capacity of 55,000 to 66,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT), at a total cost of Tk 935.7 crore.

The ships will be bought from Hellenic Dry Bulk Ventures LLC for approximately 76.7 million US dollars, according to officials.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Government Procurement Advisory Committee held Tuesday at the Cabinet Division Secretariat, chaired by Economic Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

The procurement process involved a two-stage, two-envelope tender. Three companies submitted bids, out of which two were deemed technically responsive. After evaluation, the US-based company was selected as the lowest responsive bidder.

The ships will be financed through the own funds of the state-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation.

In the same meeting, the Economic Affairs Advisory Committee approved the continuation of remaining work under the World Bank-funded ‘Bangladesh Regional Inland Water Transport Project-1’. The project includes dredging and terminal construction along the Chattogram-Dhaka-Ashuganj waterway.