Chittagong Port Authority given deadline to ease box backlog

BANGLADESH's parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings has given a seven-day ultimatum to the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) to improve the efficiency of its container handling service.

The parliamentary body expressed dissatisfaction over the backlog of container deliveries at the port and asked the authorities to complete the work to load containers on a river vessel within 48 hours instead of the existing seven days, reports the Dhaka Daily Star.

The directives follow a meeting between the standing committee and the CPA at parliament.

But the Dahka Financial Express reported that container handling has already improved, compared to four months ago, according to Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) chairman RU Ahmed.

In a press briefing following an emergency meeting with port users in the CPA board room, Commodore Ahmed said the average dwell time of a vessel was now down to four days against seven to eight days in May.

"Situation in the Kamalapur ICD [inland container depot] in Dhaka has also improved as the container jam there currently stands at 250, which was at 1,700 months back," he said.

Commodore Ahmed also said he hoped container handling would improve from the middle of October when the private operators resume operations at the six berths of the GCBs.

"We will sign contract with the private operators within October 15," he said, adding that the port's tender evaluation committee has already completed all procedures of the tenders and the purchase proposal is being sent to the shipping ministry tonight for approval.

Commodore Ahmed said the meeting with port users decided to restrict gearless vessels and defective vessels in the port. The meeting was attended by the BGMEA, the BKMEA, the Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, BARVIDA, the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Owners Association and the Shipping Agents Association.
(Source:www.schednet.com)