Various projects for Chittagong port uplift
UNB
The government has worked out various projects to expand and improve the service quality of Chittagong Port as most of the countrys export-import activities are done through this seaport, reports UNB.
According to an official document obtained by UNB, the projects being taken for the seaport are: Construction of Karnaphuli Container terminal, container handling facility area, service jetty, truck terminal, procurement of various boats, construction of a terminal with multipurpose facilities, dolphin jetty and procurement of equipment to handle cargos or containers.
Apart from building a container handling facility area at X and Y sheds, Karnaphuli Container Terminal will be built at jetty No 11-13. A truck terminal will also be built in the adjacent area of the port.
The government has decided to procure various boats like tugboats, patrol boats, water boats and survey boats for the port. A terminal with multipurpose facilities will be constructed at the jetty No 7-10 as the lifetime of these jetties has expired. The dolphin jetty will be built at river mooring-3.
Besides, work on several projects is going on for the development of the prime seaport of the country and its related people.
These included capital dredging with the protection of the right side bank of the Karnaphuli from Sadarghat jetty to third Karnaphuli bridge, aiming to ensure navigability of Karnaphuli channel, berthing of domestic vessels and protect important infrastructures of the port from possible threat, and install Radiation Detection Equipment under US Megaports Initiative to detect illegal items and examine the radiation for containing nuclear and radiation materials that announced illegal by global maritime system.
The other projects are construction of a multistoried car parking shed, construction of 1000-bed multi-specialty hospital, installation of vessel traffic surveillance system (VTSS) and procurement of cargo and container handling equipment. A 30-year strategic master plan with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank has been formulated for the expansion and improvement of the services of the Chittagong seaport keeping in mind the growing demands.
As per the suggestion of the master plan and considering the ground reality Chittagong Port Authority has taken initiatives to construct 750-meter Patenga Container Terminal near Chittagong dry-dock, 1500-meter long bay-container terminal at the first phase and 1000 meter long bay-container terminal at the second phase in Halishahars Ananda Bazar area.
Besides, it has taken move to construct Laldia Multi-purpose Terminal at Laldia Char under Public Private Partnership, according to the document. With the existing facilities the port will be able to provide services for the export and import activities of the country till 2019. Currently, the port has 408 cargo and container handling equipment.
The document mentions that it is capable to handle transit traffic of the neighbouring countries with the current capacity. With the existing facilities, the Chittagong Port in 2015-16 fiscal handled 21,89,439 TEUS containers, 7,11,56,387 metric tons of products and 3,171 vessels.
