Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation

Paddle steamers

The company operated around 13 passenger-and-cargo paddle steamers in 1972,^[6] nicknamed “the Rockets” for their speed.^[7] These included PS Sandra, PS Lali, PS Mohammed, PS Gazi, PS Kiwi, PS Ostrich, PS Mahsud, PS Lepcha, and PS Tern.^[6] The steamers served destinations such as Chandpur, Barisal, Khulna, Morrelganj, and Kolkata, from Dhaka.^[8]

In the 1980s, the steam engines were replaced with diesel ones, and the wooden paddles were replaced with iron ones.^[9] Hydraulic steering was introduced in the 1990s, followed by electro-hydraulic systems in 2020.^[6] Modern equipment such as radar and GPS was also installed.^[9] However, PS Gazi, PS Teal, and PS Kiwi were decommissioned in the late '90s after catching fire while docked for repairs.^[10]

Until 2022, four paddle steamers—PS Ostrich (built in Scotland in 1929),^[7] PS Mahsud (1928), PS Lepcha (1938), and PS Tern (1950)—were operated by the BIWTC once a week. This was a reduction from daily trips,^[6] and commercial services were eventually stopped altogether due to safety concerns, operational losses, and a lack of passengers, especially following the inauguration of the Padma Bridge.^[11][6][4]

Passenger vessels

Although passenger services are not in operation as of 2024^[update],^[4] the corporation has five historic paddle steamers in its passenger ferry fleet: the PS Ostrich (1929), PS Mahsud (1928), PS Lepcha (1938), PS Tern (1950), and the MV Shela (1951).^[13] The company commissioned the modern MV Madhumoti (2015) and the MV Bangali (2014) passenger ferries for the first time in six decades, each 76 metres (249 ft) long and capable of carrying 750 passengers, from Western Marine Shipyard.^[14]

Roll-on/roll-off ferries

BIWTC runs roll-on/roll-off ferry services for vehicles on seven routes, bridging destinations inaccessible directly by road:^[15]