The Pangaon container terminal built at a cost of Tk 1.50 billion in Keraniganj off the city is slowly coming to life nowadays, long after its inauguration in 2013, as many are opting for this alternative shipment route.
Stakeholders like the mainline operators, however, pointed out that the terminal lacks adequate number of shallow-draught vessels for Chittagong-Dhaka voyage.
Many are fearful of piracy on the 152 nautical-mile route that crosses Sandwip channel, Gazaria, Chandpur and Pangaon.
Statistics prepared by the authorities said in July a total of 178 TEUs of imports arrived at the terminal. It took the total to 1614 TEUs in 20 months since the formal inauguration in November 2013.
But the volume of containers handled by the terminal is much lower than its at-a-time capacity of 2400 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). The terminal is just 18 kilometres from the city's zero point.
The nature of the cargoes handled by the country's lone river-container terminal is import. "We don't get yet a single box of exports," said Ahamedul Karim Chowdhury, the terminal manager.
Mr Chowdhury, however, wouldn't lose hope for a better day.
"Rome was not built in a day. We'll get exports shortly," he said.
Export cargoes are usually stuffed from the private container depots and exporters prefer 18 terminals -- all located in Chittagong.
But exporters might utilise this one, too, as it has all the facilities for shipment.
"Many shipping lines are visiting the terminal for shipment purposes," said the manager.
Exceptionally three vessels bought by Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) currently operate between Chittagong and Dhaka.
People familiar with the latest developments about private vessel operators might start their shipping trips soon.
The government built the terminal on 33 acres of land on the bank of Buriganga river as a substitute route for the highly busy Dhaka-Chittagong highway. The terminal was built jointly by BIWTA and the CPA to ease traffic jam on the 265-kilomtre Dhaka-Chittagong highway which usually takes 8-10 hours or more when traffic jam mounts up.
However, stakeholders said the CPA often fails to maintain ship schedules, resulting in frustration among all stakeholders.
"The route needs adequate number of vessels to ply. When we're ready, we don't get vessels," said Captain AS Chowdhury, country head of Seacon, a Singapore-based feeder-vessel operator. He observed this should have got momentum much earlier as Dhaka and its peripheral districts import around 60 per cent of all imports.
The yearly 116,000-container-capacity river terminal has got all requisite equipment to handle cargoes, but little work to do, though.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the terminal in November 2013.
Government undertook the task of building the inland container terminal at Pangaon, Keraniganj, in 2000 mainly to ease mounting pressure on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
But deal between the BIWTA and the CPA to construct the terminal was done in 2005. And BIWTA started work in 2006 and completed in June 2013. jasimharoon@yahoo.com
