The first direct container vessel flagged off from Chittagong port for Italy today.

The Liberian flagged vessel, MV Songa Cheetah, carrying 952 TEUs of export load containers, sailed out for Ravenna port in Italy at 2:55pm.

This is for the first time, a container vessel is carrying export cargo directly to a European destination from the country's premier seaport.

The vessel is expected to reach Ravenna by the next 16 days, said Mohammad Rashed, chairman of the ships' local agent firm, Reliance Shipping and Logistics Limited.

Talking to media at a brief ceremony held at the Jetty No. 4 of New Mooring Container Terminal, Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said this shipment would be a milestone for the country's foreign trade.

Songa Cheetah came directly from Ravenna on Saturday carrying 945 TEUs of empty containers and seven TEUs of import load containers and got a berth at the port jetty within two hours of its arrival.

Liberian flagged vessel, MV Songa Cheetah, carrying 952 TEUs of export load containers, leaves Chittagong port for Ravenna port in Italy on Monday. Photo: Star

Italian shipping company Kalypso Compagnia di Navigazione SPA has introduced this new direct waterborne service between Chittagong and Ravenna with two small-sized vessels Songa Cheetah and Cape Flores.

Due to the port's inability to accommodate bigger sized vessels, export containers are currently at first transported on small-sized feeder vessels to four transhipment ports including Colombo, Singapore as well as Tanjung Pelepas and Port Klang of Malaysia and some ports in China and then containers are loaded to connecting bigger mother vessels to Europe, USA and African destinations.