Chattogram seaport has achieved significant progress during the last 10 months, particularly in all major operational indexes like container and cargo vessel handling, as well as reducing the waiting time of vessels, registering a stable continuation towards upward trends.
Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) officials said the once worrisome 5 to 15 days “waiting time” of vessels has come down to almost zero hours during the last three weeks.
Talking to BSS, CPA secretary Md Omar Faruk said apart from experiencing tremendous progress in all major areas of port operation, reducing the waiting time to nil hours has been considered a big achievement in the overall management of the country’s prime seaport.
He said once the waiting time of vessels, which means the time between arrival of a vessel at outer anchorage and having berth at port jetty, took 5 days to 15 days, but recently the waiting time fell to zero hours.
CPA sources said vessels had berthed at the port jetty without spending any time at the outer anchorage for 9 days in the month of September, 18 days in October, and 19 days in the current November, which has been considered an uphill task in CTG port operations.
Following such progress, the port-bound vessels now cannot wait for having a berth at the jetty for loading and off-loading of cargoes or containers rather they get spaces as “on arrival” in the jetty.
The port handled 28.49 lakh and 542 TEUs (twenty equivalent units) containers, 11,506,720 MT of cargo and 3,552 ships from January to October this year, which is 1.32 lakh and 328 TEUs containers , 12,908,174 MT of cargo and 351 vessels more compared to the corresponding time last year.
The increased growth rate is 4.87 percentage points in container handling, 12.64 points in cargo handling and 10.97 points in ship handling, CPA sources said.
The growth has seen more upward trends in the last three months (July-October) compared to the April-June months, registering increased operations progress in all key areas of port operation.
According to CPA statistics, operational efficiency has also gone up tremendously after handing over the management and operational responsibility of New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT)—one of the main container handling facilities of the port—to Ctg Dry Dock Ltd, an installation under the Bangladesh Navy .
A total of 4.68 lakhs and 871 TEUs of containers and 253 vessels were handled at NCT in the first four months of the current fiscal year, which is 15.50 and 19.35 percentage points more, respectively, compared with the corresponding months of the last fiscal year, sources said.
CPA secretary Md Omar Faruk said such remarkable achievements resulted in declining overall “lead time” of vessels and importers can now get delivery of their goods in time, while export cargoes will be loaded to vessels within less time.
He said the progress has been possible following the introduction of modern cargo and container handling equipment, an increase in yard capacity and wider use of IT in port operation, apart from concerted efforts by CPA employees.
He said a delegation from Maersk Shipping Company from Singapore during its recent visit to Ctg port appreciated loudly the introduction of modern equipment and expansion of yard capacity as well as increased use of IT in port operation that contributed to achieving overall progress of Ctg port.
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