About 1,800 of the roughly 2,500 lighter vessels that carry cargo from ocean-going ships at Chattogram’s outer anchorage have been registered on a digital management platform, PortNews reported on 17 August 2026, citing a Bangladesh government press release.
State Minister for Shipping Md Rajib Ahsan unveiled the latest rollout of the Lighter Vessel Management Software (LVMS) on 16 August at the Department of Shipping headquarters. He said the system “will help eliminate irregularities in the sector and establish greater accountability.”
How the system works
The Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell first launched LVMS on 30 January 2026. It brings registration, allocation and scheduling onto one platform, using geo-fencing and first-come, first-served sequencing, and provides berthing information, vessel monitoring, weather alerts and emergency notifications.
Under the enforcement measures, the Chittagong Port Authority and the Mercantile Marine Office have been told not to let commercial ships discharge cargo without a no-objection certificate from the Coordination Cell, and the Coast Guard has received enforcement directives. The software was developed with technical support from Khulna-based Jahaji Limited.
Event date: 16 August 2026
Sources: This report summarises the following original reporting. Facts and quotations are attributed to these sources.
- PortNews, Bangladesh puts 1,800 lighter vessels on digital cargo platform at Chattogram (17 August 2026)
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File photo: vessels on the Karnaphuli river at Chattogram. Photo: Moheen Reeyad / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This article is a summary prepared by Maritime News BD from the report(s) listed above; it was not independently reported by Maritime News BD.
