Bangladesh Shipping Corp is set to buy 12 containerships.

Bangladesh Shipping Corp(BSC) is set to buy 12 containerships, ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 teu, as it looks to grab a share of regional containerised volumes.

The move would represent a return to container shipping for BSC after a near-three decade absence – according to sources, it now operates just eight bulk vessels.

Six of the new ships will be coming from South Korea, as part of a government-to-government loan deal, with BSC.

BSC ’s Managing Director, Commodore Mahmudul Malek, confirmed that the procurement process is already underway. Six of these vessels will be financed under a government-to-government loan agreement with South Korea, with an estimated cost of approximately $313 million.

“The South Korean government’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) will provide the funding once the loan is approved,” Malek stated. “BSC has already signed an agreement under EDCF, and a feasibility study is currently being conducted. Once completed, the loan approval process will move forward.”

He further mentioned that the ships could be built by South Korean shipbuilders such as Daesun Shipbuilding or Hyundai Heavy Industries.

Details on the procurement of the remaining six container ships are yet to be disclosed. Additionally, BSC plans to acquire two more bulk carriers, along with two additional bulk carriers and two crude oil tankers in a separate purchase initiative.

Bangladesh’s import-export trade volume exceeded $130 billion in the 2023–24 fiscal year. However, recent political unrest has disrupted supply chains.

Added the BSC portal for details of BSC https://bsc.portal.gov.bd/