Ferries are in use in almost every country in the world, Bangladesh included. Built first in 1811, this vessel is as popular in our Bangladesh as it is elsewhere. Because ours is a riverine country it is an indispensable part of life here, and so its safe use is very important indeed. It is with that aim that every year a competition called ‘Worldwide Ferry Safety Association Design Competition’ is organised by an international non-profit organisation — the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association।
In the 2021 edition of this competition, ahead of universities from around the world, third place went to ‘Team Toucan‘. First place went to Germany's City University of Applied Sciences; second went to Indonesia's ITS Surabaya। Team Toucan included, from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Rounak Saha, Porma Roy Chowdhury, Mohammad Abrar Uddin and, from Bangladesh Maritime University (BMU), Md. Shariful Islam।
Team Toucan; from left, Md. Shariful Islam, Rounak Saha, Mohammad Abrar Uddin and Porma Roy Chowdhury
This year's challenge was to design a RoPax ferry capable of carrying 300 passengers from the port of Manaus to the port of Tefé on Brazil's Amazon river. The ferry had to cover a 20-hour route carrying various kinds of vehicle along with agricultural goods. Team Toucan say the design took about seven months to produce. To see the design, watch the video below.