CHATTOGRAM, Feb 05: A ship carrying huge containers arrived at Chittagong Port Saturday afternoon, around one and a half months after the last merchandise vessel from Europe took berth at the country's prime sea port.
Sources at Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) said the Liberian registered, MV Songa Cheetah berthed at the Jetty Number-4 at New-mooring Container Terminal (NCT) at around 1:00pm Saturday.
They said this is the second merchandise ship from Europe to take berth at Chittagong Port within one and a half months. The berthing of the ship heralded resumption of the Chattogram-Europe sea route, they mentioned.
MV Songa Cheetah is 148 metres long with 6.9 metres draft. The ship will leave Chittagong Port on Monday (Feb 7) with 1,000 TEUs of containers loaded with Readymade Garment (RMG), a CPA official told the FE.
The last time a ship from Europe berthed at Chittagong Port was in December last year. The ship 'Cap Florence' from Italy loaded with containers worth 1,200 TEUs cast anchor at the Outer Anchorage on Dec, 2021.
Confirming arrival of the new ship, CPA Secretary Mohammed Omar Faruk said, "Earlier, European ships took berth at the Chittagong Port in 1977. After long 44 years, another container ship named 'Cap Florence' loaded with 1,200 TEUs of containers berthed here on December 23 last. The ship left Chittagong Port with export containers on December 27.
He said, usually, container ships and bulk cargo carrying vessels from Singapore, Malaysia and China come to Chittagong Port to load and unload export-import goods. "The export and import cargoes are handled by ports of those countries," he noted.
However, the latest arrival reopened direct sea connection between Europe and Bangladesh and the new route would help the country's exporters and importers, he added.
President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) Mahbubul Alam said the operation of the container ships between Europe and Bangladesh would economically benefit the country. It will reduce the cost of carrying export and import goods and also cut time to deliver the imported cargoes.
Europe is the main destination of Bangladesh's RMG exports. "Particularly, the country's RMG industries send their export items to different European countries. If the concerned organisations or agents can operate vessels between Chattogram and Europe, the RMG industry will be benefited most," he stated.
Business leaders of the port city said ships from Europe used to take berth regularly at Chittagong Port more than four decades ago. The route will create new future for the exporters, particularly those at the country's RMG industries, they said.
CPA officials said annually, Chittagong Port handles more than 92 per cent of export and import cargoes of Bangladesh. It handled a total of 32,14,548 TEUs of containers in 2021 and 28,39,987 TEUs in 2020. The port is also the country's largest revenue earner, they added.
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