From the port of Chattogram, through the Karnaphuli river, it reaches the Jeddah port of Saudi Arabia by sea to the holy city of Makkah-Madinah. At one time, the people of this region used to go to the land of the Prophet (PBUH) to perform Hajj by ship.

Due to the touch of modernity, the shipping from Bangladesh stopped many decades ago. A year ago, the discussion of going to Hajj by ship, which had completely subsided, came back to the fore.

However, after the country's political pot-change, that discussion was almost erased. Recently, after the Saudi government agreed to the proposal to send pilgrims by sea from Bangladesh, the dream of going on Hajj by ship is giving new hope.

On October 6 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the interim government of Bangladesh's Religious Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain and Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah held a meeting. After the Saudi minister informed about this agreement in the bilateral meeting held between Tawfiq Fauzan Al Rabia, the discussion is about when the Hajj journey will start by this ship. Again the question is whether this plan will be successful because Hajj by ship has advantages as well as challenges.

The initial discussion of sea-going for Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh was going on for many days. A company named Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited of Chattogram has also conducted a study with the Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company Limited (IIFC) regarding the transportation of pilgrims by ship. IIFC calls shipping efficient. Then the company also prepared a proposal. According to that proposal, it will take 27 days to complete the entire Hajj activities including going and coming by ship. If you go by ship, the cost will be reduced by one to one and a half lakh taka compared to the plane.

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah after the meeting with Tawfiq Fauzan Al Rabia, Religious Advisor A F M Khalid Hossain. He wrote, "Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Affairs has said that there is no obstacle for the Saudi government to send Hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh by sea. But talk to the port authorities. Bangladesh also needs to negotiate with the shipping company. Bangladesh is thinking about sending 2/3 thousand pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj on trial by water ship.

Now after the start of a new discussion, there are opinions for and against about the pilgrimage by sea. Some say going for Hajj by ship is positive. Many have also pointed out various challenges. Until the eighties, pilgrims used to go to Saudi Arabia by ship from Bangladesh. It used to take three months to go back and forth by ship. After a long time, the journey stopped at some point. But this time that time is decreasing a lot. Even if the time is reduced, how much the cost of the ship will be reduced compared to the flight - that is also being discussed.

Travel fair will be reduced by 40 percent

If the Hajj pilgrims are sent by sea, the fare will be reduced by 40 percent compared to airplanes, said the Religious Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain. He said in a recent event, "If Hajis are sent by ship, charter ships should be hired. To do this, we will need two thousand crore takas. If Bangladesh Bank gives us a loan, then we can do it.

Noting that a loan will be taken from Bangladesh Bank, but not a grant, Religious Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain said, "If they give a loan of Tk. 2000 crore after getting approval from the Saudi government, talk to the government's Finance Adviser, then the Hajis will be taken." A shipping company said, they do it not in the hope of profit, but in the hope of reward. If this is done, the fare will be 40 percent less on the ship than on the plane. We have to discuss with the port authority and shipping company.

According to the proposal of Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited, the cost of going to Hajj under their management was estimated at Tk. 4 lakh 64 thousand 97. However, after giving that suggestion, the ministry suggested keeping the cost of each Hajj package within Tk. 4 lakhs.

In the latest Hajj package of 2024, the official price of the general package for Hajj was estimated at Tk. 5 lakh 78 thousand 840. And the newly introduced special Hajj package was priced at Tk. 9 lakh 36 thousand 320. On the other hand, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) fixed the flight fare for Hajj packages under private management at Tk. 1 lakh 94 thousand 800. According to the proposal, it is seen that Hajj passengers can save up to Tk. 1 to Tk. 1.5 lakh taka if they do Hajj by ship, even though they have to bear the fatigue of a long journey by ship.

However, it is not known whether the interim government has discussed with the Karnaphuli Ship Builders Ltd. Managing Director (MD)MA Rashid was contacted but his statement was not available.

It will take 29 days to do Hajj by ship!

According to Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited the total time required for Hajj is 29 days. It will take 6 days to travel from Chattogram to Jeddah, 6 days to travel from Jeddah to Chattogram and 17 days for Hajj. However, Hajj pilgrims stay in Saudi Arabia for at least 40 days and visit various religious buildings.

Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited said that the ship authorities will take care of the pilgrims as long as they are on board. Karnaphuli ShipBuilders Limited, adjacent to Bangladesh Marine Academy, Chattogram, has its own jetty/terminal where pilgrims can board and disembark. Necessary system to convert sea water to mineral water as pure drinking water in proposed cruise ships will be, although it was initially proposed to buy old ships to transport Hajis to Saudi Arabia, the company later said that buying old ships would not be practical. Rather than that, it would be reasonable to hire a suitable used ship from abroad to transport the pilgrims.

As many challenges as possible:

The Saudi government's acceptance of the proposal to send pilgrims by sea is a step forward, but there are also many challenges. Talking to a number of sailors who have traveled from port to port with ships over the years also got an idea of those challenges.

By shipping, the middle class is naturally more likely to respond. But in this case, it can be seen that most of the middle class save money throughout their life and go for Hajj at the end of their life. The biggest challenge is how well the body of the elderly can withstand the stress of the long ship-journey.

There is also the issue of amending the agreement with Saudi Arabia to transport pilgrims by ship. Because the agreement that the Bangladesh government makes with Saudi Arabia every year mentions aircraft, not ships. Again, even if the agreement is amended, where the immigration of pilgrims going by water will be, is also a matter of discussion.

It will take more time by sea. At this time, if someone gets seriously ill, who will take responsibility for him and how will he be treated in the middle of the sea is also a matter of thought. There is also the matter of communication with the families of passengers. In that case, they also have to think about how they will communicate with family in the deep sea without a network.

Basically, to avoid these complications, most of the countries of the world have moved away from traveling by ship. According to the information of the Ministry of Shipping, only Sudanese people are doing Hajj by sea since 2018.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association (BMMOA) Sakhawat Hossain told Barta24.com, "It is possible to go directly from Chattogram to Jeddah port without stopping at any port in the middle if you have the necessary fuel. However, the main purpose of going to Hajj by ship is to reduce the cost. It used to be regular at one time. Now if the cost can be reduced in a realistic way then this step will be good, it will get response.

Reminiscing about the many challenges, Sakhawat Hossain further said, "At one time there was a Hajj package for two and a half to Tk. 3 lakh. Now it has increased a lot. That cost needs to be reduced first. Then the flight package can be compared with the ship package. If the cost is relatively low, there will be challenges, but the interest of the passengers will increase.