CPA starts constructing new container terminal
Ten years past the making of a container terminal, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is set to inaugurate the construction of a new one today aiming to enhance its capacity to handle the ever-increasing number of vessels and containers.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan will inaugurate the construction of the terminal on 26 acres of land located at between Chittagong Dry Dock and Boat Club in Patenga.
Bangladesh Army's engineering core will build the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT), which will contain three 200-metre container jetties capable of annually handling over 7 lakh 20-foot equivalent units along with a specialised dolphin jetty for unloading oil.
Port officials say berthing would be faster since vessels would no longer need to cross a time-consuming bend on the Karnaphuli channel and reach the port.
Other facilities will include yards and road and rail links. Several establishments located at the proposed area would be shifted.
The CPA will bear the project cost of Tk 1,868 crore from its funds, supervise the civil works and purchase necessary equipment. The project has been taken under the Dele-gated Procurement of Public Procurement Rules 2008 for completion by 2019.
CPA Member (admin and planning) Md Zafar Alam said Bangladesh Army has been chosen specifically for fast completion of the project. Welcoming the initiative, port users urged for timely completion of the project since they are currently bearing the brunt of delays for vessel and container congestion from jetty and yard shortages.
Port Users Forum President Mahbubul Alam said the CPA should put emphasis on fast construction of the terminal for the sake of the economy. The construction of the New Mooring Container Terminal was completed in 2007 but it was not fully operational till 2015 due to delays in decisions for the appointment of an operator and purchase of equipment.
No jetty has been built since then although the volume of containers at the port has doubled. The CPA also has three mega projects -- Bay Terminal, Laldia Multi-Purpose Terminal and Karnaphuli Container Terminal (KCT).
KCT will come about through the reconstruction of six existing jetties and starting the project without alternatives will put tremendous pressure on container handling facilities, said Zafar. The construction of the other two terminals will be partially complete by 2021, he added.
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