CHATTOGRAM: Private importers of edible oil are struggling to unload their imported oil at the dolphin jetties of Chittagong port these days.
Following an accident on September 30 that left the Dolphin Jetty-5 inoperative, the private importers are facing a problem in unloading edible oil as the government organisations are using the remaining jetties to unload crude oil.
According to the sources, while berthing at the Dolphin Jetty-5 on September 30 last, a ship named MT Grand H-8 hit the pipelines and damaged a major portion of the jetty, leaving it inoperative since then.
On the other hand, Dolphin Jetty-6 has also been dysfunctional after an accident that took place in July last. This jetty was used to unload imported crude oil of state owned oil distribution companies Padma, Meghna and Jamuna and also of Omera. But, after the July incident at Jetty-6, the state-owned companies had been using Jetty-5 for unloading the imported crude oil.
Now, after the accident at Jetty-5, these government companies are using other Dolphin jetties for unloading their oil.
As a result, the private oil importers are struggling to get the schedule to berth their ships loaded with imported oil due to the priority of the state-owned companies.
If the situation continues like this, the price of edible oil will see a hike again as the cost of the imported oil is increasing due to rising shipping and port charges, importers said.
They alleged that there was no particular jetty for unloading the privately imported oil at the Chittagong port.
The private oil importers used to use the dolphin jetties 3 and 4 for unloading their products. But, after the accidents at jetties 5 and 6, the state-owned oil companies are now using the jetties 3 and 4, severely hampering the unloading activities of private importers.
SA Group, Van Omeron Tank Terminal (VOTT), Mohammed Elias Brothers (MEB) Group, South Eastern Tank Terminal (SETT), Standard Asiatic Oil Company Ltd (SAOCL) and Omera Fuel Limited are some of the private oil importers in Bangladesh.
Shahab Uddin Alam, managing director of SA Group, said, "The private importers are suffering a lot to unload their imported oil timely. We are paying more shipping and port charges due to delay of berthing schedule as the state owned oil companies are using the dolphin jetties 3 and 4 for unloading their imported crude oil."
"We request the authorities to renovate the dolphin jetties 5 and 6 immediately. Otherwise, the price of edible oil will go out of control soon."
Sayed Mehedi Hasan, director of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), said, "After MT Grand H-8 hit the Dolphin Jetty-5 on September 30 last, the operational activities of the jetty have remained suspended. The accident caused a loss worth Tk 20 crore."
"The local agent of the MT Grand H-8 is Pride Shipping Lines Limited. After the renovation of the jetty, the operational activities will start again," he added.
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