Trial run of CTMS in Ctg Port starts tomorrow

Pankaj Dastider CHITTAGONG, Oct 8: Trial run of container terminal management system (CTMS) in Chittagong Port will start on October 10, keeping the apparel sector beyond its purview. The CTMS system will be applied to the apparel sector on November 14, as requested by the BGMEA, concerned officials said. The BGMEA leaders said the CPA has agreed to extend them another 35 days exemption from the system for the sake of sustaining export of readymade garment (RMG). "The formal letter from the Chairman regarding further extension is expected to reach the BGMEA offices in Dhaka and Chittagong tomorrow (Sunday) as the CPA office was on vacation from Thursday to Saturday," said BGMEA leader Nasiruddin Chowdhury. He told the FE this afternoon that they formally approached the port authority to keep the apparel sector beyond the CTMS online system for the time being as it will have negative impact on the industry. "Situation in the garments export sector is yet to return to, and if the new system applies, production and export of readymade garments will be hampered and many orders for export may face cancellation," the apparel exporters in a letter to the CPA on Wednesday said. "We have also taken the issue to the proper authorities in the Ministry of Shipping and the ministry officials have agreed to comply with our request," he added. Nasiruddin Chowdhury, first vice president of the association, also said the RMG exporters will be facing problems in complying with the cut-off time during trial run of the CTMS at this stage. Project Director of the CTMS Khairul Mostafa has said the system is being implemented to bring the port-bound and port-leaving containers under a planned and on-line operation to facilitate unloading, loading, yard-transfer, stacking, tracking, delivery, gate control and on-line billing. "Average turn around time of vessels will reduce by about 50 per cent and the businesses will enjoy berth productivity and berth occupancy while optimum utilization of the cargo handling equipments will be ensured," he said adding that the Chittagong Port is currently handling over 1.6 million containers a year. The Tk 400 million CTMS system is one of the components of the ongoing CPTF (Chittagong Port Trade Facilitation) project worth Tk 1.3 billion. Asian Development Bank is providing Tk 1.0 billion to the project while the CPA will bear the rest. ST Electronics of Singapore has installed the CTMS system in the port and will monitor the system as bidder and system integrator. It will also maintain the system for five years while the software will be provided by Navis LLC of the USA.