CTMS launched in Ctg Port

Our Correspondent CHITTAGONG, October 10: The CTMS system was launched today with the automation of tracking and management of the containers from two ships arrived from Singapore. Two container ships with 1430 TEUs containers will go through the process at around 9.30 pm when both the ships will berth at the CCT (Chittagong Container Terminal) and NCT (New Mooring Container Terminal) of Chittagong Port. Project director Engineer Khairul Mostafa of Chittagong Port's CTMS said this afternoon that they have commissioned the new system at around 12 noon. MV Northern Harmony and MV Courier with 830 TEUs and 600 TEUs containers respectively will berth at the terminals tonight at the beginning of high tide in the Bay of Bengal and estuary of the river Karnafuli. Trial automation of container management will start with them, he said adding the ships were now anchored at the outer anchorage. Exporters other than those from the apparel sector will have to send their export cargoes to the yards of the port 24 hours ahead of arrival of the concerned vessel at the jetty, Port Authority said in its earlier statement. Container Terminal Management System has been introduced in the port for the first time to bring the country's major port's container handling and management fully under an integrated automation system through software at an estimated cost of Tk 400 million. The system will help increase the port's handling capacity by about 50 per cent while the turn around time will reduce and the businesses will be freed from hassles and will enjoy the optimum utilization of cargo handling equipments. The businesses are now going through a staggering 24 steps of documentation of import cargoes, which will cease to exist with implementation of the CTMS apart from having a clear picture of their import containers well ahead from their offices through on-line, port officials said. They said initially two berths of the CCT and NCT have been brought under the system but all four berths of the two said specialized container terminals and six container jetties in the general cargo berths (GCB) of the port will be brought under the same from 12 October. The country's apparel sector will however remain temporarily out of the new system till November 14 as the readymade garment exporters of both woven and knitwear industries have sought some extra time 'for the sake of meeting the importers' timeframe'.