Saint Martin's tourist jetty rusted, pontoon nearly unusable

Rust has set in on various parts of the pontoon at the Saint Martin's island. Holes have formed in some places. Residents of Saint Martin Island and tourism businessmen are concerned about the dilapidated structure used for docking ships.

The hospitality stakeholders fear that an accident could occur at any time while tourists embark and disembark using the risky pontoon. Yet tourist ships are scheduled to start operating to the country's only coral island from November 1. Although hotels and resorts are being prepared ahead of the tourism season, concerns about passenger safety have not subsided.

Local residents allege that rust has caused holes in various places of the jetty's pontoon. The structure needs to be repaired quickly to handle the pressure of huge numbers of people moving daily during the tourism season. According to them, it is essential to ensure the jetty's safety before opening the island's doors to tourists.

Island resident Tayeb Ullah said, "After a long time, tourist ships are going to start operating. But the condition of the pontoon for docking ships is not good. It needs to be repaired before the tourism season begins." He also alleged that irregularities took place during jetty construction works.

Foyezul Islam, acting chairman of Saint Martin's Union Parishad, said, "Repair and decoration works are ongoing at more than two hundred hotels, motels, and restaurants on the island. The jetty's pontoon must be repaired before ship operations begin on November 1. Otherwise, the risk of accidents during tourist embarkation and disembarkation will remain."

Mohammad Saifuddin, assistant engineer of Cox's Bazar District Council, said that jetty construction work is ongoing at a cost of about seven crore taka. The work is scheduled to be completed next December. Although some work remains, efforts will be made to complete the platform work before tourist ship operations begin so that tourists do not suffer. Allegations of irregularities in jetty construction will also be investigated.

Tourism Opens, 3,500 People Can Go Daily

According to the government's decision, tourist travel to Saint Martin's island has been permitted from November 1 to March 15, 2027. During this period, a maximum of 3,500 tourists can go to the island daily. Each tourist will have to pay a 100-taka as environmental conservation fee. Additionally, there will be opportunities for overnight stays on the island.

In a letter issued on Sunday, by the Environment-2 branch of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, relevant departments were instructed to implement certain decisions. The letter, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Sabrina Rahman, said that these decisions were taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held on October 12 chaired by Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo.

According to the decision, approved tourist ships will operate from Nuniarchhara Ghat in Cox's Bazar city. Without the approval of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the Department of Shipping cannot permit any vessel to operate to the island, popularly known as a coral-concentrated isle. The Department of Environment will collect the environmental conservation fee according to Rule 26 of the Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) Management Rules. Other directives of the gazette issued on October 22, 2025, will also remain in force.

According to the previous decision, there was a provision for day trips in November. In December and January, there was a provision for overnight stays and a maximum of two thousand tourists per day. There was also a directive to keep tourism closed from February for the rest of the year. The new decision has extended the tourism season until March 15 and increased the daily tourist limit from two thousand to three and a half thousand.

Businesses Hopeful Anew Around Tourism

The decision to resume tourism has instilled new hope among the island's businesspeople. With tourist entry restricted for a long time and overnight stay facilities closed, the income of those involved in hotel, resort, restaurant, and water transport businesses had declined. Ahead of the new season, repair, cleaning, and decoration work is underway at the island's residential hotels and resorts.

Khairul Alam, director of a resort in Saint Martin and a tourism businessman, said that due to tourism activities being closed for a long time, his resort's wooden structures and roofing were damaged by storms. Various structures also deteriorated from prolonged disuse. They are now being repaired.

Khairul Alam said, "We have to run throughout the year on the income from the tourism season. We are happy about the permission for overnight stays and the extended duration. We are already receiving responses to bookings."

Aminul Islam, a businessman from Mirpur in Dhaka, has applied for recruitment of personnel for the decoration of a resort in the Galachipa area of the island. He says that due to the long closure, the resort's bamboo roofing and fencing need to be replaced. Cleaning work is also ongoing. Preparations are being made ahead of the tourism season. Bookings are already coming in.

According to local administration sources, more than three hundred applications have been submitted to the Teknaf Upazila Administration this month seeking permission to recruit workers for renovation work at hotels, motels, and restaurants. Permissions are being granted for these applications after verification. There are more than two hundred residential hotels of various sizes on the island.

According to Abdur Rahman, a leader of the Saint Martin Hotel Owners-Businessmen Association, once tourist arrivals begin, business and commerce on the island will regain momentum. They hope this will also bring relief to tourism-dependent local people.

Challenges of Environmental Protection

Officials of the local administration say preparations are also being made to protect the island's environment alongside resuming tourism. SM Anik Chowdhury, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Teknaf, said discussions have been held with businesspeople on protecting the island's environment during the tourism season. Necessary preparations, including cleanliness activities, are being made.

Kamrul Hasan, deputy director of the Department of Environment, said round-the-clock monitoring will be maintained so that Saint Martin's environment is not harmed during the tourism season. Tourists will also be discouraged from carrying polythene and other environmentally harmful products to the island.

According to HM Nazrul Islam, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Environmental Movement (BAPA) in Cox's Bazar, Saint Martin is not only a tourism attraction but also an important habitat for marine biodiversity. Excessive tourist pressure, weak waste management, and uncontrolled vessel movement are causes of concern for the island's environment.

HM Nazrul Islam demands that alongside controlling the number of tourists and introducing an environmental conservation fee, effective enforcement of rules, a safe jetty, and waste management must be ensured.

This time, the question of passenger safety has been added to the challenge of maintaining a balance between the livelihoods of tourism-dependent people and the fragile environment of the coral island. How much the repair of the jetty's pontoon can be ensured before the island's doors open to tourists on November 1 is now the main concern of local residents and businesspeople.