Govt moves to transport more containers through waterways
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
The government has taken steps to transport containers through waterways aiming to reduce time, cut cost of exporters and importers and lessen pressure on road.
"The government wants to transport at least 50 per cent of containers through waterways and it will reduce cost by about 30 per cent and time by a day," said a shipping ministry official.
Pangaon river container terminal, a government project at Pagla, will be operational by December and Rupayun, a private company, has got the approval to set up another river terminal in Narayanganj, he said.
The government will set up more terminals -- one in Khanpur under public-private partnership -- and AK Khan Group and Kumudini Trust has already submitted proposals to set up two other terminals in Narayanganj area, he added.
"When all the terminals become operational, it is expected that they can handle over 0.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) containers in a year," the official said.
Currently, the Chittagong port handles about one million TEUs containers.
The BIWTC has already ordered to build two inland water container vessels and will also have two other ships to carry containers from the river terminals to Chittagong Port, said a BIWTA official.
More private sector vessels will also join the fleet as it will be very lucrative business, he said.
The Pangaon terminal, a joint venture between BIWTA and Chittagong Port, is likely to handle about 0.115 million TEUs at the initial stage and it will reach 0.16 million TEUs capacity, he added.
The terminal, being set up at a cost of Tk 1.7 billion, will have all loading and unloading facilities with modern equipment, and businessmen can save time by 24 hours, the official said.
The government will appoint a private agency to operate the terminal under the supervision of the Chittagong port, he said.
"BIWTA does not have any experience to run container terminal and it needs the expertise of the port for smooth functioning of the terminal," he explained.
The government will also develop Ashuganj river port as a container terminal for the smooth transshipment of Indian goods to Tripura through Akhaura, said a shipping ministry official.
The Ashuganj river container terminal project will start by next fiscal and the country is likely to earn about $200 million from the transportation sector, he said.
Under the protocol agreement, Bangladeshi trucks will be used on 49-kilometre Ashuganj and Akhaura road and 50 per cent of Bangladeshi vessels will be used to ferry Indian cargoes from Kolkata to Ashuganj, he added.
The government has taken steps to transport containers through waterways aiming to reduce time, cut cost of exporters and importers and lessen pressure on road.
"The government wants to transport at least 50 per cent of containers through waterways and it will reduce cost by about 30 per cent and time by a day," said a shipping ministry official.
Pangaon river container terminal, a government project at Pagla, will be operational by December and Rupayun, a private company, has got the approval to set up another river terminal in Narayanganj, he said.
The government will set up more terminals -- one in Khanpur under public-private partnership -- and AK Khan Group and Kumudini Trust has already submitted proposals to set up two other terminals in Narayanganj area, he added.
"When all the terminals become operational, it is expected that they can handle over 0.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) containers in a year," the official said.
Currently, the Chittagong port handles about one million TEUs containers.
The BIWTC has already ordered to build two inland water container vessels and will also have two other ships to carry containers from the river terminals to Chittagong Port, said a BIWTA official.
More private sector vessels will also join the fleet as it will be very lucrative business, he said.
The Pangaon terminal, a joint venture between BIWTA and Chittagong Port, is likely to handle about 0.115 million TEUs at the initial stage and it will reach 0.16 million TEUs capacity, he added.
The terminal, being set up at a cost of Tk 1.7 billion, will have all loading and unloading facilities with modern equipment, and businessmen can save time by 24 hours, the official said.
The government will appoint a private agency to operate the terminal under the supervision of the Chittagong port, he said.
"BIWTA does not have any experience to run container terminal and it needs the expertise of the port for smooth functioning of the terminal," he explained.
The government will also develop Ashuganj river port as a container terminal for the smooth transshipment of Indian goods to Tripura through Akhaura, said a shipping ministry official.
The Ashuganj river container terminal project will start by next fiscal and the country is likely to earn about $200 million from the transportation sector, he said.
Under the protocol agreement, Bangladeshi trucks will be used on 49-kilometre Ashuganj and Akhaura road and 50 per cent of Bangladeshi vessels will be used to ferry Indian cargoes from Kolkata to Ashuganj, he added.