Dhaka, Dec. 1 -- After long delays, ship services from Cox's Bazar to St Martin's Island have resumed.

Karnaphuli Express, MB Bar Aulia and Keari Sindabad departed from the BIWTA jetty at Nuniachhara with 1,174 tourists on board at 7:15am on Monday.

District administration officials, the Department of Environment and Tourist Police supervised strict screening before allowing passengers to embark, in line with government directives.

Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operator Owners Association of Bangladesh, said business owners and locals had suffered during the prolonged closure.

Operations will now run for two months, he added, noting that a few more days of permission for overnight stays would have helped o...