CHATTOGRAM, Dec 18: Several vessels loaded with over 0.22 million metric tonnes (MT) of wheat imported from different countries reached the Chittagong Port in the last one month, officials said.
"A total of 10 ships, including 7 from Myanmar, one from Vietnam and two from Russia, loaded with 2,23,372 MT wheat arrived at the country's prime seaport from the last week of November 2022 to 18 December, said Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Omar Faruk said on Sunday.
Of the 10 ships, some were unloading the imported wheat at the Potenga Container Terminal (PCT) of the Chittagong Port and some were staying at the outer anchorage waiting to take their turn to unload the shipment, an official at the PCT said.
He said, of the 10 ships, MV Castle loaded with 49,584 MT wheat reached the port on December 5 last, MV BMC Calypso loaded with 20,189 MT wheat reached the port on December 9, MV MCL-21 loaded with 2,650 MT wheat, MV ATN Glory loaded with 2,650 MT wheat and MV New Sun Harmony loaded with 27,400 MT wheat arrived at the port after the second week of December or later while the remaining ships reached the port in the last week of November.
Eariler, a ship, named MV Veruda and loaded with 49,400 MT wheat arrived at the port from Russia last week. MV Veruda berthed at the Chittagong Port's jetty on November 16 last, he mentioned.
Besides this vessel, MV Magnum Fortune loaded with 52,500 MT wheat has come from Ukraine on November 10 last and five other wheat-loaded vessels reached the port in the first week of November.
Mr Omar Faruk said that wheat is usually imported through Chittagong sea port. He also said that there will be no crisis of wheat in the country at this moment as a large quantity of wheat has been shipped into the country in the last one month.
When contacted, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said unloading of the imported wheat and other foodgrains were ongoing from different ships at the port till filing this report on Sunday evening. He also said that a ship loaded with wheat took berth at the PCT on November 15. "We are temporarily operating the PCT for unloading the foodgrains as per a directive from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)."
"The Prime Minister's Office issued the directive earlier this year to take necessary action for importing food grains through Chittagong Port on a priority basis. So, we are unloading the foodgrains from the foreign ships at PCT now," he added.
Apart from the imported wheat, some other ships, including MV Blu Lotas loaded with 12,200 MT rice reached Chittagong Port on December 1 last and MV MCL-7 loaded with 2,650 MT rice arrived at the port on December 6, another official at the CPA said.
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