Ships berth at Ctg port after 24hrs

As the effect of Cyclone Sitrang has subsided, ships are being rushed to the jetty of Chattogram port after 24 hours.

After warning signal number 6 was issued at Chittagong port due to inclement weather due to Cyclone Sitrang ships were sent to the deep sea away from the jetty.

The anchoring process started again at 8:40am Tuesday but no goods were loaded on to the ships till 11:30am.

Marine Department of Chittagong Port said that till 11am on Tuesday, nine container ships and seven bulk carriers and other ships arrived at the jetty.

There are plans to move 17 ships from outer anchorage to various berths including General Cargo Berth (GCB), Newmooring Container Terminal (NCT), Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) by noon.

The work of clearing the jetty started from 8am last Monday and by 11am the jetty was cleared of all ships.

Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Faruk said that delivery activities were stopped from Monday afternoon.

"Now the situation is normal. We are ready to start the delivery process," he added.

Meanwhile, though the activities have started at the jetty, the unloading of goods from the mother vessel at the outer anchorage has not started yet.

Ataul Kabir Ranju, joint secretary of Water Transport Cell, which operates lighter vessels, said the sea is still rough.

"Warning number 3 is still in place. Therefore, the clearance of goods at the outer anchorage has not started yet. Clearance activities might be started by today [Tuesday] afternoon if the situation normalises. From last Sunday (23 October) night, goods clearance has been stopped at the outer anchorage," he added.