Ctg port’s ability improves tremendously in 10 years

Over the last ten years cargo and container handling hit more than double at the Chittagong Port.

The Ctg Port, the country’s main gateway, handled 11,66,19,158 thousand tonnes of cargo and 32,14,548 TEUs of containers in 2021 and in 2011 they were 4,92,73,937 tonnes and 13,92,104 TEUs respectively.

In 2021 a total of 4,209 ships were handled at the port while the number was 2,248 in 2011.

“The average growth of Chittagong port is estimated at 10-12 percent and every year we are getting closer to achieving it,” said Mohammad Omar Faruoq, secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).

The Port Authority is implementing several projects, including procurement of equipment and modernization of systems.

According to Ctg Port master plan, the port has successively changed and adapted the handling facilities with a focus on container handling.

Desired service is not being ensured due to weakness in the implementation of policies and regulations, said Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Senior Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam.

Mahbubul Alam, President of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the number of jetties in the port should be increased in coordination with the economic growth of the country especially the facility of berthing large ships should be given utmost importance.

According to the port, at present there are 18 jetties of Chittagong Port that can take berthing vessels with a maximum draft of 9.5 meters.

The proposed Bay Terminal, which has been in the process of construction for the last few years, will be able to accommodate vessels with a depth of more than 12 meters.

On the other hand, vessels of 16-18 meters can be berthed at Matarbari in Maheshkhali, which is expected to be commissioned after 2025.

Infrastructure development versus policy gap

In the last twelve years, the expansion of the container yard in Chittagong port has almost doubled. At present, there is about 53,000 TEUs container storage space, which was 27,000 TEUs in 2009.

Almost all 13 container jetties of the port have key gantry crane facilities with a number of 18.

Along with the increase in cargo handling, the average berthing time of ships is also decreasing every year. In 2021, the average stay of each vessel at the port was 2.45 days, in 2020 it was 2.93 days and in 2019 it was 2.63 days.

That is, a ship can leave the port within two to three days after taking berth on the jetty.

But a recent survey by NBR showed it takes about 11 days and 6 hours for the release of goods from the port.

At present, almost all imported goods are un-stuffed at port yards except for 37 items, which undergo post-shipment formalities at private Inland Container Depot’s ICDs known as off-docks.

Usually, two types of containerized cargo arrive at Chittagong Port - one is Full Container Load (FCL) cargo, which is a container having a single importer’s product and the other is Less Container Load (LCL), goods of multiple importers in one container.