Spotting used, red lifeboats parked on the canal banks beside Dhaka-Chattogram Highway at Sitakunda upazila, one might scratch their heads and ask why they're kept there. But these boats are in fact of great value, being displayed for sale.

Acquired from local shipbreaking yards, these boats have now formed a makeshift boat market in Sitakunda, which meets the local and national demand.

Depending on size and condition, the lifeboats are sold at Tk 25,000 to Tk 10 lakh each.

A lifeboat, or life-raft, is a small, rigid or inflatable boat carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard a ship.

Buyers across the country come to Sitakunda's Madambibir Hat, Kumira, Bhatiari, Madanhat and other areas to buy the used lifeboats for their affordability and strength, which is much better than their wooden alternative. Government and private marine fisheries, fishers, resort owners and travel agencies are their main customers.

It's noteworthy that most renowned shipbreaking yards are located in Sitakunda's seashore, where various items like kitchen tools, electronic products, antique showpieces, different machinery and stationaries taken from scrapped ships are also sold.

At first, sellers collect the used lifeboats from scrap ships. The boats are then docked on the canal bed for display

Visiting Sitakunda, Bhatiari and Kumira recently, this correspondent saw hundreds of different sized lifeboats on both sides of the canal bank. Buyers were inspecting the boats floating on the water.

Used or new motor engines are installed on the boats after they're sold. The sellers said sometimes they customise the boats as per demand.

The sellers informed that fishers are buying small sized lifeboats for their light-weight and affordable price, shifting from the use of "dingi" boats.

M/s Khaja Alam Enterprise's proprietor Md Didarul Alam, who's been involved in the lifeboat business for the last 29 years, said, "I started the business with two lifeboats and Tk 10,000. At first, people were reluctant to purchase them, since the demand for wooden boats were high. But after a while, the fibre boats became popular."

Monir Hossain, owner of Moonstar Enterprise, said due to high price of wooden planks, a medium to small sized boat will cost around Tk 5 lakh but one can get a medium sized fibre boat with half that price, although it carries the same volume of passengers and goods. The sellers, however, said sometimes, the boats can lay abandoned for a long time, which is one negative aspect of the business.