Ferry Services Resume After Hours-Long Fog Suspension

Ferry operations on the Daulatdia-Paturia and Aricha-Kazirhat routes resumed Monday morning after being suspended for hours due to dense fog, authorities confirmed.

The suspension, which lasted seven hours on the Daulatdia-Paturia route and six hours on the Aricha-Kazirhat route, caused significant hardships for passengers and vehicle operators.

According to officials from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in Aricha, ferry services were halted late Sunday night as heavy fog enveloped the Padma and Jamuna river basins, making navigation perilous. Operations on the Daulatdia-Paturia route were suspended at midnight, while services on the Aricha-Kazirhat route were stopped at 1:00 am.

Four ferries—Bir Shrestha Ruhul Amin, Shah Paran, Bir Shrestha Matiur Rahman, and the utility ferry Kapoti—were forced to anchor mid-river to avoid accidents on the Daulatdia-Paturia route. Similarly, on the Aricha-Kazirhat route, ferries Bir Shrestha Hamidur Rahman and Dhansiri were stranded mid-river, while others, including Chitra, Kishani, and Shah Ali, remained docked at the Aricha terminal.

At Daulatdia and Paturia terminals, additional ferries remained stranded, leaving passengers exposed to freezing conditions. Over 200 passengers and vehicle drivers endured hours of discomfort before operations finally resumed around 7:00 am on Monday.

The disruption created long vehicle queues at the Daulatdia terminal, with more than 100 vehicles stuck along the Dhaka-Khulna Highway. Local resident Shakil Molla described how the fog paralyzed vehicular movement, causing a traffic jam stretching two kilometers.

BIWTC Deputy General Manager Nasir Mohammad Chowdhury acknowledged the disruption, noting that six ferries were stranded mid-river during the suspension, significantly inconveniencing passengers and transport operators.

Earlier on Sunday morning, ferry services on both routes faced a similar two-and-a-half-hour suspension due to fog, underscoring the challenges of operating in such weather conditions.

The resumption of services has brought much-needed relief to passengers and drivers, who now hope for a smoother journey ahead.