About 92 per cent of the country’s EXIM trade is handled by Chattogram port. Many organisations are involved with the port in this huge operation that is directly related to the economic development of Bangladesh. Relentless efforts of those organisations are playing crucial roles in reviving Chattogram port along with the economy of a the country. Ship handling operators are the only major player in the process when goods handling is considered as the main function of Chattogram port. More than half of Chattogram port’s handling activities are done in the outer-anchorage areas and the rest is done at the port’s jetty. Ship handling operators handle imported goods in the outer-anchorage. They handle about 45 per cent of a total container and cargo shipment. If we only calculate the bulk handling, the total stake is about 75 per cent.
The port was built several hundred years ago on the banks of Karnaphuli river. Due to the water flow and tidal hassle, the cargo ship has to be operated according to the Karnaphuli river’s situational characteristics. As the draft is low, large vessels (mother vessels) with the deep draft from different parts of the world have to stay in the outer-anchorage. In order to bring these vessels to the main jetty of the port and to make the ship lighter to sail through the low-depth Karnaphuli channel, ship handling operators are required to unload the partial or entire imported goods in the outer-anchorage. From here, goods reach the door of the importer by lighter ships. In addition to Chattogram port’s outer-anchorage, the ship handling process extends to Kutubdia and Matarbari. Like the port, it operates 24 hours a day in all seasons.
Ship handling operators are registered operators of Chattogram port. Through the tender process, ship handling operators are assigned for 5 years to do ship handling. At present, 30 companies are working to handle goods at Chattogram port’s outer-anchorage. In line with the growth of the economy and the ongoing development activities of the country, the import volume has increased in Chattogram port in the last few years. Chattogram port is facing the challenge of handling such a large quantity of imports. Especially, imports of construction materials such as stone and other heavy machinery for infrastructure development, have increased. Besides the port, ship handling operators are performing an additional task to facilitate development projects. About three-quarters of the bulk or open goods is handled in the outer-anchorage. Not only the materials brought in for the development projects, but the ship handling operators are also regularly handling wheat, maize as well as other food grains, sugar, cement clinkers, scrap steel, coal and heavy machinery. Ship handling operators play a key role in handling and timely delivery of the heavy equipment brought for the Padma Bridge and nuclear power plant to specific destinations.
A particular procedure is followed to unload the goods at the port jetty, similarly, there is a specific process to follow in order to unload goods in the outer-anchorage of the port. Ship handling operators largely handle imported goods. The volume of export goods handling is negligible. The importer first opens the LC for import. The shipping agent announces the import of goods by ship on behalf of the importer. Then the ship handling operators, designated by shipping agents, begin the process of unloading. Ship handling operators unload goods from mother vessel to lighter ships. Importer provides lighter vessels to ship handling operators. For this reason, the importer has to get the allocation of lighter vessels through the lighter vessel regulatory body, Water Transport Cell (WTC). Afterwards, Ship handling operators carry the equipment, workers and employees to the outer-anchorage on the importer provided lighter ship to handle and unload the goods. Upon arriving at mother vessel, the ship handling operator’s supervisor makes contact with the ship’s supervisor and captain to begin the unloading process. At this stage, it is checked whether the government customs duty and port charges have been collected. Then the importer and ship surveyor conduct the survey. When the survey is completed, mother vessel’s crane and ship handling operators co-ordinately begin the unloading.
Registered ship handling operators of Chattogram port have the capacity to unload about 10-12,000 tons of goods daily. At present, because of the scarcity of lighter ships, the capacity is not being utilised fully. It is taking 18-20 days for ship handling operators to unload total goods from a mother vessel. Which decreases further depending on the lighter ship’s availability. However, due to the convenience of unloading goods in the outer-anchorage area, imports can easily be transferred and delivered to different places of the country through the waterways. Goods, unloaded in the outer-anchorage of Chattogram port, are reaching the doorsteps of the importers, that means, at various river ports including Narayanganj, Nawapara, Khulna, Barishal and Bogra. On the one hand, money is being saved, and on the other hand, goods are reaching the destination in a fastest possible time
