1 ship fined Tk50,000 on first day as 1,174 tourists travel to Saint Martin’s
To discourage the use of single-use plastic on Saint Martin Island, the Department of Environment distributed aluminium water bottles free of cost to every tourist before boarding
The administration has fined the Keari Sindbad tourist ship Tk50,000 for selling tickets without the mandatory travel pass on the first day of ship operations to Saint Martin's Island today (1 December), during which 1,174 tourists travelled from Cox's Bazar.
Nilufa Yeasmin, upazila nirbahi officer of Cox's Bazar Sadar, said the fine was issued after the ship's staff were found selling three tickets in violation of government directives.
"There is no rule for selling tickets without a travel pass. A fine was imposed for selling tickets outside the rules," she said.
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Earlier in the morning, three vessels—Karnafuli Express, MV Baro Awlia and Keari Sindbad—departed from the BIWTA jetty at Nuniyachhara with a total of 1,174 tourists.
The ships reached the Saint Martin's jetty shortly after 1pm. All tourists were expected to stay on the island overnight, with return trips scheduled for tomorrow afternoon (2 December).
The district administration, Department of Environment and Tourist Police enforced strict monitoring at every stage of boarding.
Twelve directives, issued to protect the coral island's biodiversity, were announced repeatedly at the jetty.
Officials were seen conducting checks for plastics and ensuring that no more than the permitted number of tourists boarded.
Deputy Commissioner Md Abdul Mannan said all passengers were complying with the requirement to obtain a travel pass along with their tickets.
"There is strict vigilance to ensure that no more than 2,000 people can go. The 12 directives are being implemented rigorously on the ground," he said.
Md Jomir Uddin, director (additional charge) of the Cox's Bazar Department of Environment office, said ships were under surveillance at both jetties and that only travellers with valid QR-coded tickets were allowed through the checkpoints.
Tourist Police Additional DIG Apel Mahmud said police units had been deployed on every ship in addition to both jetties to ensure safety and enforce the rules.
According to the government's directives, travel to the eight-square-kilometre coral island is permitted only from November to January, with a daily cap of 2,000 tourists.
Only daytime visits were allowed in November; overnight stays are permitted in December and January. Tourist movement will again close from 1 February for nine months.
The directives prohibit lighting fires or creating noise on the beach at night, entering keya forests, harming wildlife, riding motorised vehicles on the beach, and carrying polythene or single-use plastics such as chip packets, disposable spoons, and large plastic water bottles.
Tourists are encouraged to carry reusable flasks.
Four additional ships are on standby at the Nuniyachhara jetty and will be allowed to operate once they receive permission from the authorities.
In 1999, Saint Martin's Island was declared an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA). On 4 January 2023, the Ministry of Environment declared 1,743 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to the island a marine protected area.
