A container shipping service was introduced last week, connecting six countries and facilitating a direct shipping line between Pakistan and Bangladesh for the first time.

The service offers significantly reduced transport times by doing away with the need to stop at transhipment ports, shipping agents and port users said.

Dubai-based container ship operator Feeder Lines DMCC introduced the service, deploying the only vessel, named "Yuan Xiang Fa Zhan".

The vessel started its voyage from the Port of Jebel Ali in Dubai and went to the Port of Karachi. It then set sail for Chattogram port, arriving in the port city on November 11.

According to data from Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), the vessel discharged 370 TEUs of import laden containers at Chattogram, of which 297 TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) came from Pakistan and the remaining 73 TEUS from the UAE.

Most of the cargo that arrived from Karachi contained industrial raw material, including 115 containers of soda ash, 46 containers of dolomite, 35 containers of limestone, 24 containers of chemical, 42 containers of onions, 13 containers of fabrics and 14 containers of potatoes were among the goods imported.

Among the total 73 TEUs that came from UAE, 13 TEUs of containers were carrying rough marble blocks that are used as building construction materials. Other cargo from UAE port included gypsum plaster, copper wire, motor parts and food items like raisin, dry plums, fresh dates, and different varieties of fruit juice.

One container carrying 944 cases of whiskey, vodka and wine was also among the containers imported from UAE.

A total of 52 Bangladeshi importers brought over the cargo from the two countries, totalling over 7,800 tonnes.

Akij Glass Industry Limited imported 65 containers of limestone and dolomite while Nasir Float Glass Industries Ltd imported 30 containers of dolomite and soda ash and Sharif Enterprise brought 14 containers of soda ash.

Pacific Jeans imported one container of twill fabrics and Square Pharma imported one container of fire safety equipment for its manufacturing unit.

The vessel departed for Indonesia on November 12.

However, Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Md Omar Faruk said it was not a direct shipping service between the two countries.

"The vessel originally sailed from the UAE and stopped at Karachi on the way to Chattogram and other ports," he added.

In a press release issued on November 13, the Pakistan embassy in Bangladesh hailed the introduction of the service, saying it marked the first-ever direct maritime link between the two countries.

The Pakistan High Commission in Bangladesh posted the press release on its Facebook page the same day.

The route promises to significantly streamline supply chains and reduce transit time, the release said, adding that the vessel's voyage highlights growing demand for direct trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Syed Ahmed Maroof termed it a major step forward in enhancing bilateral trade and business ties between the countries.

He added that the initiative would not only accelerate existing trade flows, but also promote new opportunities for businesses on both sides, from small traders to large exporters, the release added.

According to the schedule, the vessel will sail from Jebel Ali in Dubai to Karachi. It will then go to Chattogram followed by the Port of Belawan in Indonesia, Port Klang in Malaysia and Mundra Port in India before heading back to Dubai.

Regensea Lines Ltd, a concern of Karnaphuli Group, owned by former environment, forest and climate change minister and Awami League lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury, is the local agent of the ship.

A senior official of the Karnaphuli Group, on condition of anonymity, estimated that the total time to cover the route would be around 42 to 50 days.

The official said different types of cargo, mostly fruits and fabrics, are imported from Pakistan and that such containers are currently brought via transhipment ports in Colombo or the UAE.

Mentioning that Bangladesh also imports from the UAE, the official said imports from Pakistan can be transported to Chattogram directly through this service.

A small number of containerised cargoes are regularly imported from Karachi through transhipment ports of Colombo, said a freight forwarder.

He added that the introduction of this service would reduce the transport time by at least a week.

Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif said jute was frequently exported from Chattogram to Karachi in containers through transhipment ports even 20 years ago.

However, he said such exports had dropped in line with a decline in jute production over the past two decades.

The vessel left with 290 TEUs of export containers, comprising 289 TEUs of empty containers and one TEU laden container. Of these, 18 TEUs of empty containers were bound for Indonesia while the rest were destined for the Malaysian port.