C T Online Desk: The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has fully introduced a digital payment system for the gate pass of all cargo vehicles, aiming to reduce processing time for vehicle entry and expedite container and cargo handling to minimise vessel turnaround time at the country’s largest seaport.
CPA Chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman inaugurated the online gate pass system at Gate no 4 of the port today.
He said the manual payment process previously took an average of 20 minutes, causing long queues at all eight gates and creating congestion on the approach roads of the port, which handles roughly 90 percent of Bangladesh’s trade with the rest of the world.
“With the new system, a vehicle can enter the port in a minute or two by scanning the online payment receipt, as drivers can pay the fee in advance through mobile financial services,” he said.
The CPA launched trial operations of the electronic payment system for gate passes in November last year.
Developed by DataSoft Systems Bangladesh Ltd under the port’s Terminal Operating System (TOS), the online entry fee payment system aims to streamline port activities.
The CPA chairman said data on approximately 100,000 vehicles and biometric records of 100,000 drivers have been incorporated into the system so that authorities can efficiently track and monitor the movement of cargo vehicles.
Every day, around 6,000 to 8,000 vehicles, including trucks, covered vans, and container-carrying prime movers, enter the port.
