BSC repays govt Tk 475cr

Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has handed over a cheque of Tk 475.25 to chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus as installment of a loan the organisation obtained from the government and China Exim Bank in 2016.

Dr Yunus has hailed BSC for setting examples for others by continuing to make profit. "They are examples for the state-owned companies," he said on Tuesday (November 27).

The BSC took the loan to purchase six ships, including three bulk carriers, at a cost of over Tk 1,457 crore, the chief adviser's press wing said.

The loan deal enabled BSC to add six commercial ships to its fleet for the first time in 27 years in 2018-2019.

Five of these ships are now carrying goods across different oceans using the Bangladesh flag.

The BSC is supposed to repay the government Tk 2,425 crore as the amount of the loan and interest in several installments over a period of 13 years.

Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hussain, shipping secretary Mohammad Yousuf and BSC managing director Comodore Mahmudul Malek were present on the occasion.