200m long ship arrives at Patenga Container Terminal for the first time
On 16 January, a ship with 10 metres in draught and 200 metres in length was docked at a jetty of Chattogram Container Terminal of the port for the first time on a trial basis
Friday marked a history for the newly built Patenga Container Terminal of the Chattogram Port as a 200-metre-long vessel anchored at the terminal for the first time.
The vessel, MV Meghna Victory, was brought to the terminal from the outer anchorage of the Chattogram Port at 3pm on Friday, said port authorities.
The Meghna Victory, with a draught of 13.2 metres, anchored at the outer anchorage of the port and after discharging of goods to reduce the draught to eight metres, was brought to the Patenga Container Terminal, said Meghna Group.
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Including the Meghna Victory, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury is scheduled to inaugurate four new ships of the Meghna Group on Sunday, said port authorities.
Chattogram Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, Shipping Department Director General Commodore Md Nijamul Haque and HSBC Bangladesh Chief Executive Officer Md Mahbub ur Rahman will also be present at the opening ceremony.
Earlier, ships with a draught of 9.5 metres and a length of 190 metres were docked at the Chattogram Port. On 16 January, a ship with 10 metres in draught and 200 metres in length was docked at a jetty of Chattogram Container Terminal of the port for the first time on a trial basis.
Md Abu Taher, chief engineer of Mercantile Shipping, a sister concern of the Meghna Group, said Meghna Victory arrived at Kutubdia at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram Port with 62,500 tonnes of wheat from the Vancouver Port in Canada on 16 February. The remaining 9,000 tonnes of wheat on board will be discharged at the outer anchorage after the inauguration of the four vessels.
Among the four new ships, the Meghna Prestige arrived in Bangladesh on 17 February with coal from Muara Pantai Port in Indonesia. The Meghna Hope will start sailing the sea on 15 March and the Meghna Progress from May.
According to Chattogram Port sources, only rice imported by the government is currently being unloaded at the newly constructed Patenga Container Terminal.
Since no operator has yet been appointed to run the Patenga Container Terminal, the loading and unloading of goods on ships are being conducted under the management of the Chattogram Port.
