The government will purchase six gantry cranes at a cost of over Tk 3.44 billion for the smooth handling of containers at Chittagong Port, officials said.
Shanghai-Zenhua Industries Company Ltd of China will supply the cranes to the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).
The CPA purchased four gantry cranes in 2005.
But only two cranes are now operating for moving containers.
The other two cranes went out of order due to technical faults, compelling the CPA to purchase six more new cranes.
"We are going a sign a deal with Shanghai-Zenhua Industries Company Ltd, China for purchasing six gantry cranes for the Chittagong Port," a high official of the ministry of shipping (MoS) told the FE.
He said that the CPA and the Shanghai-Zenhua Industries Company Ltd will sign a purchase deal tomorrow (Sunday) at the Shipping Ministry.
He said each of the gantry cranes could lift 25 to 30 containers an hour.
He said that six gantry cranes would help speed up the movement of containers at Chittagong Port.
Smooth container handling is badly needed for the Chittagong Port to keep exports and imports uninterrupted.
The efficiency at Chittagong Port has not improved in line with its growth, forcing the exporters and importers to incur losses as the container vessel congestion has worsened.
The exporters said they were falling behind their rivals from other countries as the congestion cost time and money.
The importers said they were incurring losses, as they had to count demurrage for container vessels overstaying at the port.
The number of containers handled at the Chittagong port is growing by 15-22 per cent every year, but the port is running its operations with the same numbers of jetties it had 10 years back.
The New Mooring Container Terminals (NCTs) built in 2007 cannot run in full swing due to a lack of necessary equipment.
The Chittagong port handled only 0.9 million units of TUEs (twenty foot equivalent) of containers at that time. But that number reached 2.4 million by 2016.
The ministry official said that the government has taken measures for the capacity building of Chittagong Port, which will help reduce the crisis of the jetty and other infrastructural deficiencies at the port.
The steps include operationalising the Patenga Container Terminal by 2019, the Laldia Container Terminal by 2020, and the first phase of Bay terminal by 2021.
Chittagong is the prime sea port of Bangladesh. It handles 92 per cent of the country's booming export-import trade.
Though cargo pressure is increasing, the infrastructure has not been developed. In the last 45 years, only seven berths have been built for the port.
The overstaying of ships has been increasing due to the crisis of yards and jetties.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com