Fisherman becomes shipowner by selling nets

Amid the relentless roar of the sea, the young Rabiul Islam could not yet foresee that these very waves would one day change the course of his life. He was once a sailor on deep-sea fishing vessels.

During the long hours of hauling nets up and down, his body would be drenched and the skin on his hands would peel away. Yet he developed an unusual attachment to those nets, an attachment that eventually made him a “specialist in nets”.

Now, it is by selling those very nets that he has been able to purchase an entire deep-sea fishing vessel.

In May of this year, Rabiul bought the fishing ship. It is approximately 40 metres in length and 8 metres in width, roughly the height of a 12–13 storey building if stood upright.

The vessel was built in China but was purchased from a local company. More than a hundred species of marine fish are harvested using this ship and 45 crew members work on board.

To understand how this sailor became a shipowner, one must return to the year 2006. That year, Rabiul travelled from his village home in Narsingdi to visit his brother in Chattogram. His brother was then employed on a fishing vessel. One day, Rabiul accompanied him to the sea.

It was his first sight of the ocean. The roar of the waters, the cool breeze and an unfamiliar pull drew him in. That same year, through his brother’s connection, he secured a job on the vessel Fv Jaron. His responsibility was to look after the nets.

From the needles and threads to the tension in the ropes and the design of each mesh, he seemed to understand everything almost instinctively. His curiosity about how nets opened underwater and how they behaved on the seabed only grew stronger.

Around 2008, he joined a company as a “net technician”. Initially, he only carried out repairs, but within a few months he was entrusted with designing new nets and making modifications. This opened up a new path in the craft of net-making.

The year was 2012. After years of employment, he had managed to save a modest amount of money. Rabiul decided to establish his own workshop. He rented a shed and storage space in a corner of the Ichhannagar fishing port on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River.

He named the enterprise Rabiul Modern Trawl Ltd. The beginning was tough. He handled everything himself—designing, cutting and assembling.

Calculations for engine horsepower, the vessel’s length and width and the depth at which the net would operate were all done before drafting a design. Imported fabric was then cut using 22 different types of tools.

A complete trawl net takes one to two weeks to produce and costs between Tk 1 and 1.5 million (10 to 15 lakh). Each net measures between 405 and 480 feet in length. Every year, he makes at least 100 new nets and repairs around 300 more.

Yesterday, Friday, after crossing the river by boat from the Sadarghat side of Chattogram city and arriving at his workshop, one could see activity at its peak. Some were weaving nets, others were folding them.

Representatives of shipowners were arriving to collect their nets. Rabiul himself was taking measurements with his fingers and adjusting the tension of the ropes. He handed over each net with great care.

One buyer remarked, “Rabiul’s designed nets move well in the water. They are wider yet lighter. As a result, they catch more fish while placing less strain on the engine.”

As the conversation continued, Rabiul revisited his early days. He said, “I went to the doors of many companies with my designs. I tried to explain why my nets were different from others. In most places, I had to return empty-handed.”

Recalling the suffocating uncertainty of those early days, he added, “When I started the workshop, I had no customers. There was no work. Only waiting and worrying. I could not sleep at night. I kept wondering whether I was on the wrong path. But I did not give up. Every order felt like a new breath of life. Gradually, trust grew and so did my earnings.”

At present, there are about 255 fishing vessels in the country, of which 220 operate regularly. Among them, nets made by Rabiul are used on at least 140 vessels. He manufactures all four types of nets authorised by the government. The materials are imported from various countries.

Many people now come to Rabiul’s workshop to learn the intricacies of net-making. Among them, students from the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries of the University of Chittagong and Noakhali University of Science and Technology have visited several times. Rabiul teaches these students the various practical aspects of net production.

While making nets year after year, the dream of owning a ship gradually took hold in his mind. He began to think that he would one day purchase the type of fishing vessel on which he had once worked as a labourer. After years of hard work, unwavering confidence and diligent savings, his dream finally came true this year.

Rabiul said, “As I drifted on the sea, I would often think that one day I, too, would own a vessel like this. I kept working towards making that dream a reality.” Generally, the price of a small to medium-sized fishing vessel ranges from Tk 200 to 300 million (20 to 30 lakh). Older vessels cost even less.

Standing by the sea, Rabiul sometimes looks back on his earlier days. The hardship and toil of his years as a labourer have brought him to where he stands today. Just as the waves return again and again, the memories of those labour-filled days return to him. Reflecting on those memories, he says, “A person’s fate is like a net. If woven properly, it eventually becomes strong.”

Rabiul lives with his family in Karnaphuli Upazila. His family consists of his mother, Sajida Begum, his wife, Afsana Akter, and their two children. Upon hearing the news of the ship purchase, his mother was overwhelmed with joy. Her eyes filled with tears. She said, “My son is very hardworking. He works day and night. If God wills, he will do even better in the future.”