Ctg Port operations resume partially
Operation of larger vessels at Chittagong port resumed partially yesterday morning as all nine vessels with export cargoes left their jetties.
However, vessels waiting at the outer anchorage for berthing at the port are yet to get entry clearance.
The Chittagong Port Authorities (CPA) suspended vessel operations to and from the country's premier seaport on Tuesday night following capsize of a cement-clinker laden vessel at the estuary of river Karnaphuli.
As the salvage of the sunken vessel would take longer times the authorities arranged for dredging the river yesterday morning to widen it to ease vessels' inward and outward movements.
CPA Chairman Commodore RU Ahmed at 5:00pm yesterday said that the channel was widened to some extent after dredging the river and hopefully the inward movement of vessels would start today.
The chairman said the incoming vessels waiting at the outer anchorage might enter the port today.
At around 8.00am two outgoing vessels left the port jetties and by noon seven others also departed, sources said.
Three private salvage teams, however, were engaged yesterday in pulling up the vessel MV Seven Circle-25. Finally they decided to drag the vessel to riverbank to clear the main channel.
“Our first priority now is to remove the sunken vessel from the accident site and drag it near the riverbank so that the main channel gets cleared,” said captain S Arif Mahmud, member (harbour and marine) of the CPA yesterday.
Sources said a total of 28 vessels out of 43 are now waiting at the outer anchorage for permission to berth at the Chittagong port.
The authorities earlier on Wednesday allowed only the lighter vessels to ply on the river for two hours.
The MV Seven Circle-25 was carrying around 950 metric tonnes of cement clinker when it sank at the Karnaphuli estuary at about 8:00pm Tuesday, said Abu Hasnat, owner of the vessel.
Meanwhile, the four-member committee headed by Engineer Sirajul Islam, chief ship surveyor of Mercantile Marine Department (MMD), is expected to submit its report today.
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