10m-draught ships can now take berth at Chattogram port
Cargo transportation cost and handling time will come down through berthing the larger ships, the shipping sector businessmen say
From now on, vessels having up to a maximum 200-metre length and 10-metre-draught can berth at Chattogram port, the key seaport of the country.
The Chattogram Port Authorities issued a circular in this regard on Sunday.
According to the circular signed by the port's deputy conservator, vessels having LOA up to a maximum 10 m-draught and 200m-length, may be allowed to take a berth in jetties, depending on prevailing real-time hydrological conditions.
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Currently, a maximum of 9.5m-draught and 150m-length ships are allowed to berth at the terminals.
Chittagong Port Authority Deputy Conservator Faridul Alam told The Business Standard that it is a milestone for the Chattogram port.
With the issuance of the circular, the journey of berthing larger vessels has started.
A 9.5-metre-draught and 190-metre-long ship can carry 2,500 to 2,600 containers while a 10-metre-draught vessel can carry 3,800 to 4,000 containers in the port. Similarly, larger cargo ships will be able to carry more than 15,000 to 20,000 tonnes of open cargo.
In 2022, the port increased its berthing capacity, and a ship of 10-metre-draught and 200-metre-length berthed at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) of the port on 16 January this year on a trial run. Then, another vessel of that size berthed at Patenga Container Terminal on 26 February.
The shipping sector traders had expressed adverse reactions for not issuing a circular after passing two months of the successful trial of larger ships' berthing at two terminals of the port.
Regarding the matter, The Business Standard published a news with the headline "Chattogram port's increased berthing capacity lies unused for delay in issuing circular" on 18 March. The Chittagong Port Authority issued a circular a day after the news was published.
According to the shipping sector insiders, cargo transportation costs and handling time will come down due to the increased berthing facility.
Bangladesh Shipping Agent Association Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif welcomed the issuance of the circular allowing the berthing of larger ships at the port jetties.
He, however, urged the port authorities to allow berthing of the 10-metre-long bulk carriers under the increased berthing facility at the terminals.
