Enhancing capacity of Mongla port

Capacity enhancing of Mongla seaport is, in effect, linked with easing the excessive and ever-increasing load on Chittagong port. Although stray suggestions were abuzz for quite sometime on how to go about, no planned programme of action was in sight except makeshift attempts that dealt mostly with curbing delayed clearance of merchandise at Chittagong. Recent experience suggests that the lengthy time now required for handling of cargo -- both inward and outward -- is assuming serious proportions at the country's prime seaport. The average time taken from arrival of a vessel to release of imported goods at the Chittagong port, according to a study titled 'Time Release Study', is more than 11 days while the time taken to release export cargo is nearly five days. Observers consider the time unaffordably high compared to the standard practices in most countries. Under the circumstances, one of the preferred options is to relieve the Chittagong port of its excessive load by up-scaling the Mongla port which, many believe, could better handle the increasing volume of both in-bound and out-bound cargo, provided improved infrastructure and logistics are in place.

Lately though, a move to substantially improve and modernise the existing facilities of the Mongla port has received the right thrust from the authorities concerned. The move, according to a report published in this newspaper, includes among others introduction of modern container and cargo-handling equipment to enhance the port's capacity and achieve a double-digit operational growth in the near future. Besides, as further reported, the port authority is all set to procure heavy-duty mobile crane, forklift, rail-mounted dock/portal crane etc. The Mongla Port Authority is also reported to have undertaken a Tk 876 million project  to materilise the works in two years' time. Installation of the equipment and completion of all works under the project would surely raise the cargo-handling capacity and concerned quarters are hopeful that the port's handling capacity could be as high as 4.0-5.0 million tonnes a year.  Needless to say, upscaling the capacity is necessitated to lessen the load on Chittagong as well as attract increased volumes of cargo to Mongla.

While this is a piece of good news, it should also be noted that one of the key hindrances to Mongla's becoming a major port is inadequate navigability -- not only in the waters close to the jetty but also in one of the key channels that obstructs movement of big vessels. It remains a matter of thorough examination whether conventional dredging would be enough to do away with this kind of hindrance. At present, dredging is on around the port area. A Chinese company has reportedly completed dredging of four out of six earmarked locations. The company is also working to improve navigability of the channel in question. Given the importance attributed to Mongla as a prospective regional port, developing and equipping it with necessary logistics and infrastructure demand a high priority. Besides, with a considerable load reduced, the Chittagong port can be expected to deliver better.