Ban on visiting St. Martin’s island lifted from today, but will ships sail?

After a nine-month ban, the government lifts travel restrictions to St. Martin’s Island from today, Saturday (1 November). Two vessels — MV Karnafuly and MV Baro Auliya — have been authorised to operate on the Cox’s Bazar–St. Martin route, with permission to carry up to 2,000 tourists daily.

However, visitors will not be allowed to stay overnight on the island. Tourists will have to return on the same day — meaning that after a 13–14-hour voyage each way, they’ll have just about one hour to explore the island before heading back. This restriction has dampened enthusiasm among tourists, while shipowners are reluctant to operate at a loss if passenger numbers remain low.

The uncertainty has left many travellers confused, with some cancelling their planned trips. Shipowners and tour operators, however, have not confirmed whether they will suspend operations entirely.

Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh, told Prothom Alo, “As per the government order, 2,000 tourists per day may travel to and from St. Martin in November — but no overnight stay is allowed. Since it takes 13–14 hours to cross the Bay of Bengal from Cox’s Bazar’s Nuniachhara Jetty, tourists will have only an hour on the island, which is discouraging them. Ticket sales have been very low.”

He added that running the ships at a loss would be unsustainable. “Operating an 800-passenger vessel over the 120 km route costs more than Tk 10 lakh (1 million) per trip, including fuel. With limited passengers, revenue barely reaches Tk 200,000–250,000, a loss of Tk 700,000–800,000 a day. It’s not viable to sail under such conditions.”

Bahadur said if ships were allowed to use the Navy jetty at Inani Beach, tourists could make a day trip with about three hours on the island, making it far more attractive. However, the Department of Environment (DoE) has prohibited navigation from that jetty.

He noted that allowing overnight stays would increase tourist interest. “If tourists were permitted to stay overnight in November, there would be more interest. For now, overnight stays are allowed only in December and January. Last season, about 120,000 tourists visited the island during those two months.”

Khandaker Mahbub Pasha, deputy director of the DoE’s Cox’s Bazar office, confirmed that ships are expected to begin operations from Nuniachhara Jetty from Saturday. Only two vessels have been authorised, and departures from Inani or Teknaf remain strictly prohibited.

Tourists must purchase tickets online through the official Bangladesh Tourism Board portal, each containing a travel pass and QR code. Any ticket without a QR code will be considered fake, and verification checkpoints will be in place at both Nuniachhara and St. Martin’s jetties.

According to the government circular, in November, tourists can only visit the island during daylight hours, with overnight stays allowed only in December and January.

Other restrictions include: no vessel may operate without approval from BIWTA and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Besides, no lighting, loud music, or barbecues on the beach at night; entering the Keya forest, collecting or selling Keya fruits, or harming turtles, birds, corals, crabs, shells, or any marine biodiversity is prohibited; use of motor vehicles such as motorbikes or sea bikes on the beach is banned; tourists are discouraged from carrying or using polythene and single-use plastics (chips packets, plastic spoons, straws, shampoo sachets, or plastic bottles).

St. Martin’s, an eight-square-kilometre coral island in the Bay of Bengal, has long been a popular tourist destination. Just three years ago, nine to 11 ships ferried 5,000–6,000 tourists daily from Teknaf across the Naf River and Bay of Bengal.

But the armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, including Arakan Army control, gunfire on Bangladeshi vessels, and kidnappings, led authorities to halt passenger traffic on the Teknaf–St. Martin’s route.

On Thursday evening, Abrar Hossain and Kamrun Nahar, a couple from Savar, arrived in Cox’s Bazar hoping to travel to St. Martin’s island. Despite repeated inquiries, they failed to obtain tickets.

“We came with high hopes, but it looks like we won’t get to see St. Martin’s after all,” Kamrun Nahar said.

Officials said the DoE is currently implementing a Tk 8.9 crore (89 million) project titled “Adaptation to Climate Change and Biodiversity Protection on St. Martin’s Island”.

The three-year initiative aims to regulate tourism, protect the island’s environment, create safe nesting conditions for turtles, restore Keya forests, and provide Tk 5,700 monthly stipends to 500 ultra-poor families.

St. Martin’s was declared an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 1999, and on 4 January 2023, the Ministry of Environment designated 1,743 square kilometres of surrounding waters in the Bay of Bengal as a Marine Protected Area.