A readymade garment (RMG) consignment left for Poland from Mongla Port on Thursday, with the distinction of passing through the Padma Bridge.
A Panamanian-flagged ship named “Maersk Nesna” had the first distinction of passing through the Padma Bridge for exporting goods “Made in Bangladesh.”
Traders have started shipping clothing products from Mongla Port after Padma Bridge opened.
According to Mongla Port authority sources, a total of 27 garment factories including Fakir Apparels Ltd, Windy Apparels Ltd, KC Lingerie Ltd, Artistic Design Ltd, Knit Concern Ltd, Meghna Knit Composite Ltd and Sharmin Apparels Ltd are exporting their items through this ship.
The consignment contains RMG products including children’s clothes, jerseys and cardigans, t-shirts and trousers.
According to sources, there is a great deal of time lost when unloading or loading cargo owing to the pressure of ships at Chittagong Port.
But in Mongla, there is no such pressure. Many additional exporters will be interested in using this port once these garment items are exported, they also said.
The Mongla Port Authority is one of the several entities in the southern region whose operations have grown as a result of the Padma Bridge’s opening on June 25 this year, said Md Liakat Hossain, president of the Bagerhat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Due to the Padma Bridge, the distance between Dhaka and Mongla port is now 170km, whereas, from Dhaka to Chittagong Port it is 260km. At Mongla, ship handling is quick and secure, he further said.
Within a month of the Padma Bridge inauguration, a new path for the export of garment products through Mongla port has begun, said Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa, chairman of Mongla Port Authority.
These products are being sent directly from the port to Poland in containers owned by several clothing manufacturers. This import-export trend will become more prevalent in the future, he added.
