Mismanagement hampers gantry crane utilisation at Chittagong Port

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Jasim Uddin Haroon
The utilisation of gantry cranes at Chittagong Port has substantially declined due to delay in despatching export-load containers from private inland container depots to the port.
According to an estimate, in May, the four gantry cranes operated for 786.5 hours, delays caused 1669.1 hours in lost time and idle time accounted for 520 hours.
Idle hours means time between berthing and commencement of operation and period between completion of loading and sailing.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) installed four quay rail mounted gantry cranes at its Chittagong container terminal (CCT) in January 2006 at a cost of Tk 1.53 billion to expedite cargo handling at the port and reduce the turnaround time of vessels.
Each gantry has been handling on an average 30 boxes each hour since handover of its management to a private operator in March.
Earlier, during CPA's own management, the utilisation of the gantry crane was nearly 11 per cent and per hour productivity was about 12/13 boxes.
Shipping sources said transferring at least two gantry cranes from the CCT to the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) might increase the utilisation of the cranes.
The CCT has two piers and sometimes three vessels could simultaneously berth at the terminal.
Currently, four gantry cranes are handling three vessels at the CCT. If two cranes are shifted to the NCT, all the four cranes will be able to handle four vessels at a time, shipping sources said.
Two berths of the NCT out of five are in operation on trial basis and the terminal has been equipped with only two rubber tyre gantry cranes.
The port authority is not procuring equipment for the NCT as the private management will take the charge of the country's largest terminal on the supply-own-transfer basis after floating international tender.
Muhammed Amirul Haque, representative of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at Chittagong Port told the FE Wednesday that the port authority might shift two gantry cranes at the NCT to raise its capacity.
"The tender process and procurement of equipment for the NCT will take time. The port authority can install two gantry cranes at the NCT for the time being to grow its services," Haque added.
Admitting 25 per cent utilisation of the cranes at the CCT, Tarafder Md Ruhul Amin, Managing Director of the Saif Powertec Limited and private operator of the CCT, told the FE that there is no requirement of four gantry cranes at the terminal.