Govt to scale up Mongla Port capacity

The government has moved to equip the Mongla Port with modern container and cargo handling equipment to enhance its capacity and achieve a double-digit operational growth in near future.
"We have taken an initiative to boost the capacity of the port. As per the initiative, initially we will procure modern cargo and container handling equipment soon," Mongla Port Authority (MPA) Chairman Commodore Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan told the FE.
On procurement of the equipment, the second largest seaport at Mongla would get a big boost. Dependence on the prime seaport at Chittagong would likely be reduced, officials concerned said on Wednesday.
The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) has undertaken a project involving Tk 875.6 million to procure the heavy-duty mobile crane, forklift, rail-mounted dock/portal crane, reach stacker for handling loaded containers and other modern equipment.
"Since we have completed a major dredging job at the port channel, we are expecting a high growth in our operation. We need to strengthen our port handling facility," said Commodore Bhuiyan.
The Chinese company-China Harbour- has already completed dredging of 4 segments out of 6 in the port area. The completed dredging segments are: Sabur Beacon turning ground, Jetty channel, Conflenc channel and Bascreech area, according to the MPA officials.
Presently dredging is being carried out in the Mooring Buy Area and Jetty Head Area.
Mr Bhuiyan said: "This is our first initiative to boost the capacity of the container and cargo handling of the port after increasing navigability of the channel. We will work more to strengthen the capacity of the port."
The port authority would complete the procurement by December 2016 from eligible foreign suppliers through international tender.
A senior Shipping Ministry official said after completing the dredging they were expecting that the cargo handling would grow by 4.0 to 5.0 million tonnes a year or 17 per cent compared to that of last year.
He said: "The country's largest port at Chittagong sometimes becomes overburdened. So, the Mongla Port will be the next option for traders to load and unload their products."
Besides, the government allowed Nepal and Bhutan to use the Mongla Port to transport their products. So, it was imperative to enhance the capacity of the port, he said.
According to the MPA, the port's cargo handling had been boosted by 211 per cent and the container handling by 103 per cent in last five years.
The port data showed that it handled 1,137,826 tonnes of cargoes and 21,201 tonnes of containers in the financial year (FY) 2008-09. It rose to 3,543,949 tonnes of cargoes and 43,007 tonnes of containers in the FY 2013-14.

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