First vessel docks at new jetty at Matarbari
Previously, a ship had to wait in the outer anchorage to get berthing as there was only one jetty
For the first time, a commercial ship docked at the second jetty newly built for the coal-fired power plant at Matarbari in Cox's Bazar.
The Panama-flagged commercial ship MV Horizon-9, equipped with water treatment plant (desalination) equipment weighing 165.480 tonnes in 59 packages, left Singapore on 10 July and reached the Matarbari jetty at 11am on Thursday.
The depth of the new jetty is 16 metres.
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Previously, a ship had to wait in the outer anchorage to get berthing as there was only one jetty. On 29 December last year, the first commercial ship with power plant equipment docked at the first jetty at the Matarbari Channel.
Matarbari deep seaport is being constructed under Chattogram port. After the signing of the agreement with the consultant on 23 September last year, development work of the port started on 16 November 2020 at a cost of Tk17,777 crore. Construction is expected to be completed by the middle of 2025.
Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority, said this achievement points to the ongoing economic development of Bangladesh. The capacity of Chattogram port will gradually increase and the development of the country will be accelerated.
Abul Kalam Azad, executive director, Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL), told The Business Standard that 75% of the work of the jetty has been completed, with ships anchoring at the new jetty to ensure a smooth import of power plant equipment.
Ataul Hakim Siddiqui, assistant harbour master of Chittagong Port and coordinator of Ship Docking at Matarbari Jetty, said so far 17 ships have docked at the first jetty and one at the new one.
Another ship will dock at the first jetty on 17 July.
He added that by December, more cargo ships can directly dock here without any waiting.
According to CPGCBL sources, the construction of the jetty started in August 2015 at a cost of around Tk2,000 crore for the import of equipment for the Matarbari power plant.
Before the construction of the deep-sea port, a channel, which is 250 metres wide, 16 metres deep and 14 kilometres long, was prepared at Matarbari, through which ships from the Bay of Bengal are coming to the jetty. Six buoys have been set up to guide the ships from the deep sea to the jetty through the channel. The width of the channel will be further increased by 100 metres to 350 metres to build a deep-sea port.
The government took the initiative to build the Matarbari deep-sea port in 2014. If this port starts operations, the economic belt that is underway from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar will be accelerated.
The port has a carrying capacity of twice as much as the Chattogram port, which can accommodate vessels carrying 8,000 to 10,000 containers, reducing transport cost and benefiting traders.
Initially, it is being designed to handle eight lakh containers. The time it takes for ships from China to unload goods at Chattogram port will be reduced to three days at Matarbari port.
The work of the port will be completed six months ahead of the scheduled time in 2025. Matarbari Port is within the parameters of Chattogram Port. Therefore, the new port will be operated under the port of Chattogram.
Horizon-9 is 120 metres long, 21.2 metres wide and has a draft of 5.3 metres. The ship's local shipping agents are Ancient Steamship Company Ltd and its clearing and forwarding agent is National Agencies.
