Ctg port moves to reduce congestion

Congestion at the Chittagong port is expected to subside within two weeks after the port authority yesterday took several decisions, including allowing bigger container vessels at night and creating more space at the yard.

The port has been facing congestion since May due to: huge seasonal import ahead of Ramadan and national budget; less operational hours during Ramadan; bad monsoon weather; equipment shortage and cyclonic storms like Mora.

As a result, container vessels, particularly those with no cranes on board, have to wait for 12 days on an average to get berth at the port jetties.

To alleviate the congestion, the Chittagong Port Authority yesterday called an emergency meeting with vessel operators, shipping agents and berth operators.

At the meeting the vessel operators urged the CPA to allow bigger sized vessels to pass through the port channel at night. In response, the port authorities increased the vessel length limit by five metres to 175 metres.

Besides, the 4,500 containers that are lying on the port yard would be moved to the newly built South Container Yard to make space for export containers coming from off-docks, said Ahsanul Hoque Chowdhury, chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association.

A survey would be conducted to see if bigger vessels with 9.5 metre draft can be accommodated at two jetties of general cargo berth terminal, said CPA Member (admin and planning) Md Zafar Alam.

The CPA would also request the Chittagong Customs House to immediately clear the three rubber-tyred gantry cranes imported by the port such that they can be made operational soon.

With these measures the situation is expected to get back to normal within two weeks, Chowdhury said.

The lack of enough jetties is the major reason for the congestion. No new jetties could be built since 2007 whereas the volume of cargoes and containers handled by the port almost doubled in that time, according to port users.