Move underway to enhance cargo handling capacity of Mongla port

The government has taken a number of initiatives to improve the capacity of the Mongla port against the backdrop of an increase in its workload, officials said.
The government has decided to complete some unfinished works on a number of jetties under the public-private partnership (PPP) basis for proper handling of containers at the port.
The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) and Power Pac Holdings will sign a contract today (Sunday) for completing works on the jetties.
The estimated cost of the capacity enhancement work is US$52.75 million, a high official of the ministry of shipping (MoS) told the FE.   
Once the contract is signed, the Power Pac Holdings will complete the unfinished works of jetty number three and four of the port and provide services for 30 years.
With the anchorage shifted to Mongla in 1954, the port is situated at the confluence of the Pashur River and the Mongla River.
The port plays a significant role in trade and commerce activities of the country, particularly of south and southwestern parts of Bangladesh.
The MPA has taken some development projects keeping pace with rapid economic growth and completion of construction work of the Padma Bridge by 2018 will multiply the activities of the port to a large extent.   
The port has set an objective to handle 1,000 ships per year by 2021. Capability enhancement of the port is going on accordingly.
At present, there are 11 jetties at the port. Five are now functioning fully, according to the MoS.
A total of 139 ships anchored at the port during the fiscal year (FY) 2008-09 while the number shot up to 482 during the FY 2015-16.
During the FY 2008-09, the port handled only 21,201 TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) of containers and incurred Tk 90 million loss.
The port handled a total of 41,935 TEUs and earned a profit of Tk 650 million during the FY 2015-16.     
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