Bangladesh has procured four quay gantry cranes for Chittagong port, a move that is expected to give a boost to the cargo handling at the country’s prime port and reduce lead time.
Chittagong Port Authority recently inked a deal with China’s Sanghai Xinhua Heavy Industries Company in this regard. The cranes, capable of handling 40 tonnes, will be costing BDT 238 crore, and will help to swiftly load or unload container vessels.
Chittagong Port Authority’s Chairman Commodore Zulfikar Aziz and Liu Qizhong, senior vice president of the Chinese company, inked the agreement. Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan and Shipping Secretary Md Abdus Samad were also present during the ceremony.
It is to be noted that Chittagong Port Authority inked another agreement with Sanghai Xinhua Heavy Industries Company for purchase of six quay gantry cranes, at a cost of BDT 345 crore, which is expected to arrive at the port by next month, ministry insiders said.
The cranes – 10 in total – will be latched to the Newmooring Container Terminal at Chittagong port. Through this, the port can load or unload five gearless vessels simultaneously. Capable of handling 25-32 containers per hour, these cranes are expected to reduce lead time for shipment delivery by a significant margin.
Meanwhile, according to insiders, there are efforts to procure ship-to-shore gantry cranes and other equipment to ensure smooth cargo handling at the port that handles nearly 80 per cent of Bangladesh’s total export volume heavily reliant on the readymade garments.
Bangladesh, now, has only four quay gantry cranes at Chittagong Container Terminal. Those cranes, of Japanese Mitshubishi brand, were purchased by the port authority back in 2005.
