logo

Time relaxed for RMG to use CTMS in port

Tuesday, 22 November 2011


Our Correspondent CHITTAGONG, Nov 21: The Port authority has relaxed timeframe for the export oriented readymade garments (RMG) to reach the containerised garments within 8:0 am for shipment on the date of arrival of the concerned ship. Chittagong Port Authority chairman Commodore Anwarul Islam announced the relaxed time at a meeting with the port users including the garment exporters on Sunday evening. The RMG exporters went through the recently launched Container Terminal Management System (CTMS) automated programme from today upon the port decision to relax the time, officials said. The Port chairman said the earlier timeframe was that the garment exports should reach the port 24 hours ahead of the arrival of the ship in the port. The CTMS has been commissioned in the port's containerised berths to enhance productivity of the port, he said. "But the re-schedule has been done at the request of the garment exporters under the BGMEA and BKMEA to facilitate quick disposal of shipment formalities," he said in the meeting. He stated that the time was slackened to bring the RMG exporters under the CTMS from today (Monday). The automated container tracking and container terminal management system was launched in the container berths of the Chittagong Port on October 13 bringing all containerised import and export goods under the new system. But the garment exporters declined to join the new system for what they said would hamper the RMG export as the exporters would fail to reach their products 24 hours ahead of arrival of the ships in the port due to severe traffic congestions on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway through which most of the RMG export goods are transported to the port. BGMEA first vice president Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, director of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry MA Salam, Shippers Council chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed Chowdhury and senior officials of Chittagong Port Authority were present on the occasion.