Over a thousand tourists had to spend 15 hours on a ship on their way to Cox's Bazar from Saint Martin's Island, a journey that usually takes five hours.
Passengers alleged that they bought tickets of ships named Baro Aulia and FB Karnafuli but were forced to travel on MV Bay One which left Saint Martin's Island at 3pm on Tuesday. They were supposed to reach Cox's Bazar by 8pm. But it took them 15 hours.
One passenger said that they had to move on to another ship in the middle of the night as Bay One would not go to Cox's Bazar.
Dhaka TribuneHosainul Islam Bahadur, the general secretary of Sea Cruise Operator Owners Association of Bangladesh (SQUAB), told Dhaka Tribune that they learned about the mismanagement, and said that it happened as the tourists were asked to board the wrong vessel.
He said that Cox's Bazar-bound tourists should have been brought to the city by Baro Aulia or Karnafuli but they were forced to board another ship heading for Chittagong.
He blamed the Tour Operator Owners Association for the suffering of the tourists.
Bahadur said that FB Karnafuli had been experiencing technical glitches for the past few days. Still, the operators continued to sell tickets of the vessel. Since there was no FB Karnafuli at the jetty at Saint Martin's Island, the tourists were asked to board One Bay.
Dhaka TribuneThe tour operators denied the allegation saying that FB Karnafuli authorities continued to sell tickets of the vessel and the operators had nothing to do with it.
Anwar Kamal, the president of the association, told Dhaka Tribune that they had repeatedly informed the district administration of FB Karnafuli's mismanagement in this regard.
Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran said that he did not know of the incident. "Action will be taken against those behind the misery of the tourists," he added.
