Inclement weather leads to rise in turnaround time of vessels

FE Team | Published: July 08, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Jasim Uddin Haroon
The turnaround time of vessels at the country's premier Chittagong port rose and container handling fell in June due mainly to inclement weather.
The vessels stay time in June averaged 3.60 days against 3.48 days in May last.
But it was 48 hours at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), the major terminal of the port, equipped with sophisticated rail mounted gantry cranes and other modern facilities.
Turnaround time begins from the arrival of vessels at the outer anchorage to sail-out after discharging import cargoes and loading export goods.
The stay-time of vessels has been reducing each month since the proclamation of state of emergency on January 11 this year as the taskforce, in collaboration with Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and other port users, undertook series of measures contributing to reduction in the turnaround time and other hidden cost at the port.
The vessels' dwelt time was 4.84 days in April, 8.74 days in March, 8.69 days in February, and 11.65 days in January this year.
The turnaround period of container-laden ships was over 13 days in December and 22 days during the October-November in 2006 when political chaos disrupted communications and other activities at the port.
However, the port handled 78,170 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers in June against 79,595 containers in May last.
The feeder vessels called at the port 78 times in June against 82 times in May.
CPA Terminal Manager Lieutenant Commander Zahid Hossain told the FE Saturday that the productivity of the premier port declined in June when movement of export-laden containers was hampered due to heavy downpour in port city.
He also said: "The heavy downpour forced the private operators to keep their operation suspended down in June".
The CCT's services were privatised in March this year while the general container terminal (GCTs) has been privatised in mid-May.
The private operators said that the turnaround time of vessels might decline and container handling rise in July.
Tarafadar Md Ruhul Amin, managing director of the Saif Powertec Limited, private operator at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), told the FE that some 27 vessels called at the terminal in June and handled around 30,000 containers in June.
"Most of the vessels sail out from the CCT within 48 hours, but few vessels have to wait for loading export cargoes from the private inland container depots," he added.
Fazle Ekram Chowdhury, a private operator at jetty nine and owner of the Fazlesons limited, told the FE that turnaround time at the GCT remained more than 72 hours as containers were being handled at their jetties by traditional cranes.