Ctg port opens shed for imported cars

The Chittagong port yesterday opened a modern car parking shed to store imported vehicles before delivery.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan inaugurated the Tk 24 crore parking shed on an area of 1.92 lakh square feet that can accommodate 950 vehicles.

Pratunu Wahab & A Barik Associates built the shed near the port stadium. 

The step is expected to allay the importers’ resentment over damage and theft of parts of their imported vehicles which had been kept in port yards or left in the open, said Khan. 

Two car carriers, worth Tk 3.9 crore, were also launched at the programme. 

The Chittagong Port Authority purchased the carriers from Dockyard and Engineers Works in Narayanganj to carry imported vehicles from the jetty areas to the shed.

Each carrier consisting of a trailer and a tractor can transport six cars at a time, said Niaz Morshed Elite, managing director of Borotakia Group, the local agent of the supplier firm.

There are plans to expand the shed to allow in more vehicles, said CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal.

The CPA will also offer importers to use the car carriers to take the imported vehicles to their destinations.

Currently, car importers have to spend at least Tk 8,000 on transporting each vehicle from the port to its destination in Dhaka, said Elite, whose firm will operate the carriers.

Now, they will be able to use the carriers for Tk 30,000 to transport six vehicles to Dhaka, cutting costs by at least Tk 3,000 per car, he added. Chittagong City Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin and local lawmaker MA Latif also spoke.