Chittagong port bursting at the seams

The country’s premier maritime port faces a big challenge to cope with the ever-increasing growth in handling cargo, containers and vessels. Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal, chairman, Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), made the comment while addressing a views exchange meeting with the media on Tuesday. As part of celebrating its 130th founding anniversary, Chittagong Port Authority organised the meeting at Shaheed Fazlur Rahman Munsi Auditorium in the city. Although the port has remained active for years, it started its administrative journey since the enactment of Port Commissioner’s Act introduced on April 25, 1887. The growth in container and cargo handling now stands at around 15.9% and 17% respectively, said the CPA chief. Around 6.50 tonnes of cargoes and 20,24,207 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers were handled through the port in 2015. To hail this feat, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, UK, ranked the port 76th among the 100 busiest container-handling maritime ports in the world in 2016. Chittagong Port handled 7,72,55,731 metric tonnes of cargoes and 23,46,909 TEUs of containers in 2016. The number of vessels arrived at berth in Chittagong Port was 2,709 in 2015 and 3,014 in 2016. “To enhance the port’s dynamism and efficiency, we have undertaken short, mid- and long-term plans based on strategic master plan keeping in view of the seventh five-year plan, Vision 2021 and 2041,” added Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal. The process to procure 11 rubber tyre gantry cranes (RTG), four straddle carriers, five container movers and a rail mounted gantry crane (RMG) is underway. Besides, a tender has been floated to procure six Ship to Shore gantry cranes, he added. The capital dredging of Karnaphuli River which is the lifeline of Chittagong and Chittagong Port is going to resume within a very short time, said the CPA chairman. The Karnaphuli river dredging project has remained stalled as the appointed contractor, Malaysian Maritime and Dredging Corporation, left it in 2013. “To cope with the growth of container and cargo, we have taken up the initiative to construct Patenga Bay Terminal which will be completed by 2019.” Referring to the much-awaited Bay Terminal, the CPA chief urged the government to provide 907 acre non-agricultural land at a symbolic price. Khaled also hoped to complete the first phase of Bay Terminal by 2021. Pointing to the security of the maritime port, he added: “No incidence of piracy took place at the outer anchorage of the port in 2016.” The vessel traffic management information system is playing an important role in this regard and efforts are underway to bring the whole area of the port under CCTV surveillance. The CPA chief expressed his optimism that Chittagong Port would emerge as one of the leading ports of the world by 2021. Around 90% of the country’s export and import is done through the port which is located by the estuary of the Karnaphuli River.