Shariatpur-Chandpur, Paturia-Daulatdia ferry services resume after hours-long fog disruption

Ferry services on the Shariatpur-Chandpur and Paturia-Daulatdia river routes resumed this morning (2 December) after being suspended for nearly 10 hours and seven hours, respectively, due to dense fog.

The first ferry departed from the Narsinghpur ferry terminal in Shariatpur for Chandpur at around 10:30am, bringing some relief to stranded passengers and vehicle drivers who had been waiting for hours.

Md Iqbal Hossain, deputy manager of the terminal, said dense fog began forming gradually over the Meghna River area last evening. 

As night deepened, the fog became so thick that visibility on the river dropped to a dangerously low level, he said, adding that the authorities decided to suspend ferry operations on the Shariatpur-Chandpur route from 12:30am considering the safety of passengers and vehicles.

Following the suspension, more than 100 vehicles, including buses, goods-laden trucks, covered vans, cars and motorcycles, were stranded on both banks of the river. 

Severe congestion developed at the ferry terminal throughout the night, causing significant suffering for passengers and drivers, with many forced to wait for long hours under the open sky.

This morning, as the sunlight increased, the fog gradually began to clear. Once visibility improved, ferry operations were permitted to resume at around 10:30am.

However, the ferry terminal authorities said the vessels are operating at reduced speed in the middle of the river to prevent accidents.

They added that ferry operations will return to full normalcy once the fog clears completely and that the traffic congestion at the terminal will gradually ease.

The Shariatpur-Chandpur river route is one of the most important transport links in the southern region. It connects the capital with at least 20 districts in the southwest. 

On the Paturia-Daulatdia river route, ferry operations resumed at about 10am after remaining suspended for seven hours due to dense fog.

Two ferries anchored mid-river during the suspension safely reached their terminals as visibility improved, allowing stranded vehicles to begin crossing the river, reports UNB.

Abdus Salam, deputy general manager for the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Aricha sector, said ferry movement on the Paturia-Daulatdia route was halted from 3am because of poor visibility.

With the fog clearing in the morning, normal ferry operations resumed, easing congestion at four terminals.