C T Online Desk: A large container vessel having a draught of 10 metres and length of 200 metres will anchor at Chittagong Port for the first time on a trial basis on Monday.
The cargo ship “Common Atlas” will dock at the port’s CCT-1 Jetty, officials said.
State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, along with senior ministry officials, and other stakeholders will attend a ceremony to be organized on the occasion.
SM Enamul Haque, executive director of Bengal Shipping Line Limited, said that the 200-meter-long cargo ship carrying the flag of the Marshall Island had earlier left Santos Port in Brazil with 60,500 tons of raw sugar.
The ship arrived at the outer anchorage of Chittagong harbor on January 10.
The port jetty can now accommodate ships with a depth of nine and a half meters (submerged portion of the ship) and a length of 190 meters. These ships can typically transport 2500 to 2600 TEUs of containers.
Enhancement of the port’s berthing capabilities has increased its container handling capacity, reduce transport costs and turnaround times- the time required for loading and unloading of goods at the port, authorities said.
According to the port authorities, vessels having only 9.5 metres of draught and 195 metres in length have been anchored at the port jetty since 2015.
Md Omar Faruq, secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority, said that the port authority will soon issue a circular to various shipping companies across the world regarding the new opening.
Khairul Alam Sujan, vice president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association, said that a large number of containers can be handled at the same time if such ships continue to dock at the port. This will bring down the cost of importing and exporting goods.
The port authorities undertook hydrographic and hydrological research on the Karnaphuli River and port channel in 2020 to improve the capacity of Chittagong port. HR Wallingford, a UK-based research firm, was assigned for the survey.
