Jahaji launched to make shipping easier

Hiring cargo ships is now possible using one's mobile phone.

A new app, Jahaji, first of its kind in the shipping industry, has been launched with the features of booking and tracking services for inland water transports.

State minister for shipping, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, launched the app at a programme in National Press Club on Sunday.

Three features of the app -- ship booking, tracking and marketplace -- would provide inland water transport stakeholders like ship owners, suppliers, buyers, agents, carriers, transport brokers, and buyers facilities to book and track lighter ships including bulkhead, cargo, and coaster across Bangladesh.

Hailing such an innovation by the youths, the state minister said, “The present government is working to transform the country into digital Bangladesh and startups such as Jahaji will be the change makers.”

“Inland water transport sector is a very prospective one but there are a lot of setbacks in the industry, too. Digitisation of the sector will solve many problems,” Khalid Mahmud added.

Bangladesh cargo vessel owners' association's former president Mahbub Uddin Ahmed said, “From my involvement with the industry for decades, I know there are lots of problems in this sector. Jahaji with their state-of-the-art app is surely going to bring solutions to many existing problems of the sector.”

Former people’s perspective specialist of a2i project, Naimuzzaman Mukta, expressed hope that Jahaji would enable the sector’s stakeholders to do business with much ease now.

Jahaji’s co-founder Kajal Abdullah said, customers will be able to rent a ship after confirming the rent, location and capacity through their app.

Also, ship owners, carriers and suppliers will able to know up-to-date of their trips.

Through Jahaji’s virtual marketplace, one would be able to trade bulk goods like sand, coal and stone from running ships with embedded features of price, location, quantity, and quality comparison.

The app can be downloaded from the google play store.

Jahaji’s chairman Shaikh Bahauddin Rupak and co-founder and CEO Abhinandan Jotdar, among others, spoke at the launching ceremony.