মঙ্গলবার, ২৮ জুলাই ২০২৬
State-owned Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) is set to hand over a cheque of Tk203.47 crore to the government on Wednesday (14 January) as repayment of loan instalments for its ship acquisition project and as dividend for the FY2024–25.
The cheque will be formally handed over to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, according to officials familiar with the matter.
BSC sources said the amount includes repayments under the project titled “Acquisition of three product oil tankers and three bulk carriers”, implemented on a government-to-government (G2G) basis.
Under the project, a loan agreement was signed on 14 October 2016 between the Government of Bangladesh, represented by the Economic Relations Division (ERD), and the Export-Import Bank of China. The total loan amount was 1,199,999,070 yuan, equivalent to approximately Tk1,457.67 crore at the time.
Later, on 27 October 2024, the Ministry of Finance and BSC signed a subsidiary loan agreement (SLA), under which BSC committed to repay a total of Tk2,425.02 crore to the government over a period of 13 years.
Previously, on 26 November last year, BSC handed over a cheque worth Tk475.25 crore as interest accrued during the grace period. With the latest payment of Tk203.47 crore, the corporation continues its scheduled repayment and dividend disbursement to the government.
Speaking to reporters, BSC Managing Director Commodore Mahmudul Malek said the corporation is no longer just a profit-making state entity but a key contributor to the country’s maritime capacity.
“We aim to maintain financial discipline through regular loan repayments and dividend payouts. The addition of new vessels has significantly enhanced our commercial capability, which will contribute positively to the national economy,” he said.
After a gap of 27 years, BSC added six commercial vessels to its fleet in FY2018–19 under the project. At present, five of them—MV Banglar Joyjatra, MV Banglar Arjan, MT Banglar Agrojatra, MT Banglar Agrodut, and MT Banglar Agrogati—are operating on international routes.
Officials said the new vessels have substantially boosted BSC’s revenue and profitability. In the last fiscal year, the corporation earned around Tk800 crore in revenue and posted a net profit of Tk306.56 crore—the highest in its 54-year history.
Meanwhile, BSC has intensified its fleet expansion plans following directives from the chief adviser. Two bulk carriers are being procured under self-financing. Of them, Banglar Progoti was delivered on 28 October 2025 and has already entered commercial operations. The second vessel, Banglar Nobojatra, is scheduled for delivery on 30 January 2026.
In addition, procurement processes are underway for two MR product oil tankers under government financing, one Ultramax bulk carrier under self-financing, and four large vessels from China under the G2G framework.
