Contic Cruises

Last updated September 29, 2019

Contic is a Bangladesh-based river tourism operator that offers services in and around Dhaka. They also offer a cruise in the south to the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home of the royal Bengal tiger. Contic is an abbreviation of "confluence of technologies, ideas and cultures."^[1]

Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. While it is the 92nd-largest country, spanning 147,570 square kilometres (56,980 sq mi), it is the world's 8th-most populous country with a population nearing 163 million, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north and the east and Myanmar to the east, whereas the Bay of Bengal lies to its south. Dhaka, its capital and largest city, is also the economic, political and the cultural hub of the country. Chittagong, the largest sea port, is the second largest city. The country's geography is dominated by the Ganges delta which empties into the Bay of Bengal the combined waters of several river systems, including those of the Brahmaputra and the Ganges. As a result, the country is criss-crossed by numerous rivers and inland water ways. Highlands with evergreen forests cover the landscape in the northeastern and southeastern regions of the country. The country also features the longest natural sea beach and most of the largest mangrove forest in the world. The country's biodiversity includes a vast array of plants and wildlife, including the endangered Bengal tiger, the national animal.

Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world, with a population of 18.2 million people in the Greater Dhaka Area as of 2016, while the city itself has a population of 8.9 million inhabitants as of 2011. Dhaka is the economic, political and cultural center of Bangladesh. It is one of the major cities of South Asia, the largest city in Eastern South Asia and among the Bay of Bengal countries; and one of the largest cities among OIC countries. As part of the Bengal plain, the city is bounded by the Buriganga River, Turag River, Dhaleshwari River and Shitalakshya River. The city is located in an eponymous district and division.

The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans from the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal to the Baleswar River in Bangladesh. It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, agriculturally used land, mudflats and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and channels. Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, viz Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans West, Sundarbans South and Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Clients of the group have included former US President Bill Clinton, US media mogul Ted Turner, former cricketer Imran Khan, travel writer William Dalrymple, and international ministers and heads of state^{[ citation needed ]}. Aerial photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand featured Contic's sailboat, the B613, in the Bangladesh episode of his documentary series, Earth from Above (French: Vue du Ciel) ^[2]

William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Prior to the presidency, he was the governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992, and the attorney general of Arkansas from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was ideologically a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy.

Robert Edward Turner III is an American media proprietor, producer, and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television, which later became TBS.

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Pakistan and the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Before entering politics, Khan was an international cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team, which he led to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

History

The company was founded in 1997 by Yves Marre ^[3] and Runa Khan. Contic aims to help preserve the area's heritage. To secure the knowledge of carpenters in this region of the world, Contic, in association with Friendship,^[4] a charity organisation also based in Bangladesh, opened a boat museum and published a related book.^[5] Both Contic and Friendship are attempting to document and preserve as much as possible of a boat-building tradition that is rapidly dying through the creation of model boats, exhibitions and active involvement with naval architects such as Marc Van Peteghem ^[6] and Thibault Saint-Olive.

Yves Marre is a French entrepreneur, inventor and adventurer, co-founder of Friendship (NGO) in Bangladesh, co-founder of NGO Watever in France and creator of TaraTari Shipyard in Bangladesh.

Marc Van Peteghem is a French naval architect, co-founder of VPLP a French based naval architectural firm, since 1983.

Boats

Contic has built and maintains two boats, the Fleche d’Or, (English: Golden Arrow), and the B613. The Fleche d’Or was constructed by Brahmaputra carpenters who based the design on the panchi category of river boat, which has been used for generations in rowing races between villages. These river boats were eventually broadened for fast transport of troops across rivers. This broader design is still used for transporting passengers between villages. The Fleche d’Or is the longest panchi in the country, measuring 72 feet. It is equipped for daylong or half-day cruises through Dhaka, the old city and the surrounding countryside.

The B613 is constructed from the hull of an original Malar boat measuring 93-feet long and 23-feet wide. The hull was acquired in 1997, then converted into an international standard cruising boat. It has six double cabins, four bathrooms, two showers and a kitchen. The original rigging was rebuilt with a 20-metre mast and two hand-woven trapezoidal sails that measure a total surface of 250 square metres, making the B613 the biggest sailing boat of Bengal. The deck is made of Burmese teak and measures 11 metres by 6.5 metres. Part of the deck is sheltered by a bamboo roof, which offers opportunities to watch river life. The boat is equipped with two Detroit Diesel engines of 110 horsepower each. An on-board generator allows use of projectors, microphones and other equipment for seminars, meetings and retreats. The open roof and sides can also be covered in case of rain or if the room needs to be darkened.

Teak is a tropical hardwood tree species placed in the flowering plant family Lamiaceae. Some forms of teak are known as Burmese teak, Central Province teak, as well as Nagpur teak. T. grandis is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. It has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicles) at the end of the branches. These flowers contain both types of reproductive organs. The large, papery leaves of teak trees are often hairy on the lower surface. Teak wood has a leather-like smell when it is freshly milled and is particularly valued for its durability and water resistance. The wood is used for boat building, exterior construction, veneer, furniture, carving, turnings, and other small wood projects.

Detroit Diesel Corporation(DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States and a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Daimler AG. The company manufactures heavy-duty engines and chassis components for the on-highway and vocational commercial truck markets. Detroit Diesel has built more than 5 million engines since 1938, more than 1 million of which are still in operation worldwide. Detroit Diesel's product line includes engines, axles, transmissions, and Virtual Technician.

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Barisal Division, officially known as Barishal Division, is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Located in the south-central part of the country, it has an area of 13,644.85 km² (5,268.31 sq mi), and a population of 8,325,666 at the 2011 Census. It is bounded by Dhaka Division on the north, the Bay of Bengal on the south, Chittagong Division on the east and Khulna Division on the west. The administrative capital, Barisal city, lies in the Ganges (Padma) River delta on an offshoot of the Arial Khan River. Barisal division is criss-crossed by numerous rivers that earned it the nickname 'Dhan-Nodi-Khal, Ei tine Borishal'.

Ahsan Manzil was the official residential palace and seat of the Nawab of Dhaka. The building is situated at Kumartoli along the banks of the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Construction was started in 1859 and was completed in 1872. It was constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. It has been designated as a national museum.

Sonargaon is a historic city in central Bangladesh. It is one of the old capitals of the historic region of Bengal and was an administrative center of eastern Bengal. It was also a port and trading center. During British colonial rule, merchants built many Indo-Saracenic townhouses in the Panam neighborhood. Sonargaon was central to the muslin trade in Bengal.

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Watever is a French NGO composed of professionals from the maritime industry, transport and development which was created in 2010 by Marc Van Peteghem, Yves Marre, Alain Connan and Gérald Similowski, convinced that boats can be a gateway to development. Watever assists underprivileged populations living on the shores of oceans and rivers. The NGO is looking to provide access to innovative and sustainable floating solutions, adapted to their economic, social and climatic situation. The concepts that are developed are designed to improve their life conditions by combining modern techniques and traditional knowledge.

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Runa Khan is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and the founder and executive director of Friendship NGO. Friendship is based on Khan's model of “integrated development,” meaning it addresses problems in multiple sectors, including health, education, disaster management and economic development in communities where it is involved, rather than specializing in one of these. Khan won the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in 2006 for work through Friendship to preserve the declining craft of traditional boat building in Bangladesh.

References

↑ "About Us". Contic.
↑ GoodPlanet: Vue du Ciel ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
↑ "Yves Marre". Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
↑ Friendship Association
↑ "Friendship: Cultural Preservation Programme". Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
↑ VPLP Yacht Design Archived 2010-08-17 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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[1] "About Us". Contic.

[2] GoodPlanet: Vue du Ciel ^{[ permanent dead link ]}

[3] "Yves Marre". Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2010-07-22.

[4] Friendship Association

[5] "Friendship: Cultural Preservation Programme". Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-07-22.

[6] VPLP Yacht Design Archived 2010-08-17 at the Wayback Machine