Operations of newly-installed gantry cranes began at the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), the biggest container terminal of the Chittagong Port Authority, on Wednesday afternoon, people familiar with the mater told the FE.
They said three new gantry cranes were successfully installed at the jetty-3 of the NCT just a few days back.
A vessel came from Singapore named Kota Halus took berth at the jetty for the maiden unloading operations.
"The cranes will start operation soon as all necessary preparations are okay," Captain Tanveer Ahmed, chief operating officer (COO) at the Saif Powertec, a berth operator at the port, told the FE over phone on Wednesday afternoon.
Chittagong Port's fleet of quayside gantry cranes got bigger with the inclusion of three new cranes a month back.
Gantry cranes usually have high productivity than the geared vessels. Geared vessels have their own cranes to load or unload cargoes.
Mr Tanveer said the productivity will be at least double at the jetty following the operations of the gantry cranes.
"We're expecting per hour productivity will stand at 25 box per hour. The geared vessel can handle 10-12 boxes per hour," he said.
The three cranes are part of the six that the port authority purchased at Tk 3.44 billion in 2017 from Chinese company Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited.
The rest three may arrive during the first week of next month (November).
Currently, four such cranes are in operation at two jetties of Chittagong Container Terminal, the first container terminal of the Chittagong Port Authority.
People at the ship owning company told the FE that their vessel actually geared but the Authority called it at the jetty-3 of the NCT.
They also said the vessel will leave for Mongla after discharging containers in Chattagram.
The NCT, a one-kilometre terminal with five jetties was constructed in 2007. It became operational in 2015 as the appointment of a private operator was delayed.
