Due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Cyclone Michuang in the Bay of Bengal, the Teknaf-Saint Martin route has been temporarily suspended for tourist vessels to prevent accidents.
Around 300 tourists have been stranded on the island due to the cyclone.
On Tuesday morning, around 1,000 tourists embarked on a journey to the island aboard the tourist carriers Carey Sindbad Baro Auliya and the Atlantic ship. By the afternoon of the same day, 700 tourists had departed the island, but the remaining 300 were compelled to spend the night there.
Zahir Uddin Bhuiyan, the traffic supervisor of Teknaf region for the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said: "The sea is turbulent due to the impact of Cyclone Michuang forming in the Bay of Bengal. Warning signal No. 3 has been issued at the seaport. The Teknaf-Saint-Martin waterway will be closed for tourist vessels on Wednesday morning. However, several tourists currently on the island will have to stay there overnight. They will be brought back once the situation normalizes."
Shah Alam, manager of the tourist ship Carey Sindabad Teknaf, mentioned: "Due to warning signal number 3, the ship will be closed on Wednesday. Some tourists are staying on the island. They will be brought back when the weather is normal. However, in such incidents, ship movement typically remains suspended for at least two days."
Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Adnan Chowdhury assured: "Several tourists are staying on the island, and their situation will be monitored. If the weather improves, ship movements will resume."
The shipping authorities indicated that tourist ships commenced operations on this waterway from Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Damdamiya Ghat on September 26. However, due to adverse weather conditions, ship transportation will be suspended for the fourth time on Wednesday.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Cyclone Michuang is currently located approximately 1,530km southwest of Chittagong sea port, 1,500km southwest of Cox's Bazar sea port, 1,345km southwest of Mongla seaport, and 1,375km southwest of Payra sea port as of Tuesday morning.