Chittagong port handled a record amount of container in April in the port’s 38 years of operations since 1977.
A total of 165,950 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, including 87,255 TEUs of import and 78,695 TEUs of export containers, were handled by the port in the month.
The port handled 155,908 TEUs of containers, the second highest figure for a single month, in March this year.
The port achieved 13.83 percent year-on-year growth in container handling in the first 10 months of this fiscal year.
In the last 10 months, the port handled over 1.5 million TEUs of containers, up from 1.3 million in the same period last year.
The port experienced a 12.23 percent annual growth in container handling in 2014, the highest growth in the last four years.
Port officials said the increase in export and import and the several initiatives taken by the Chittagong Port Authority to increase its capacity in the last two years have paid off.
The CPA had enhanced its container storage capacity from 26,000 TEUs to 42,000 TEUs, constructed a multi-storied car shed outside the port and continued operations amidst political unrest, which enabled the port handle more containers.
The port needs to further enhance its capacity and efficiency to cope with the growth in container handling, said Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, chairman of the standing committee on port and shipping of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
He stressed the need for taking immediate steps to solve the complexities surrounding the operation of the New Mooring Container Terminal, which is yet to be fully operational even after seven years of its construction.
Source: The Daily Star
