Ctg port sees 9pc growth in container handling

The Chittagong port posted 9 percent year-on-year growth in container handling in 2018.

The port handled around 2.80 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import, export and empty containers in 2018, up from 2.57 million TEUs in the previous year.

All sorts of industrial raw materials—except those used in the cement and ceramics sectors—along with commercial items, machinery, commodity and chemical products are imported through containers while export goods are solely carried through containers.

Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Zulfiqur Aziz has attributed the growth to the increasing foreign trade.  The growth is a bit slower than the previous year's 9.36 percent although the volume of containers handled was higher in 2018 than the previous year, he said.

The port handled 2.30 lakh TEUs of more containers in 2018 compared to 2017 while the figure was 2.19 lakh in 2017 compared to 2016.

The port had to suffer from container and vessel congestions last year and the situation gradually improved after the installation of six gantry cranes in the latter half of the year.

The port's capacity and efficiency would increase this year with the implementation of some of the expansion projects, Aziz said.

“Projects for building new jetties are ongoing while we are planning to build yard facilities in the proposed Bay Terminal site to create more spaces in the port.”

The port always struggles due to the lack of jetty and yard facilities required for the increasing transport of container, he said.

Mahbubul Alam, president of the Port Users Forum, stressed the need for giving more emphasis on the port's expansion projects, including the ones related to Patenga Container Terminal and Bay Terminal.

“Construction of new terminals with modern jetties and equipment is a must to enhance the port's efficiency.”