State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said Chittagong port will lead not only at the national level but also in regional maritime connectivity. There are many challenges in front of Chittagong port including Patenga, Bay Terminal, and Matarbari. If we can implement these challenges, then think about where Chittagong port will go.
The state minister was speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the newly constructed service jetty and newly assembled support vessel (tug boat) Kandari-6 of Chittagong Port Authority on Sunday (2 January). He later inaugurated two more development projects at the port, the new mooring overflow yard, and the swimming complex. Chairman of Chittagong Port Authority Rear Admiral M Shahjahan presided over the inaugural function.
The State Minister said that due to the visionary and efficient leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the development of the whole of Bangladesh including Chittagong port has taken the world by surprise. Bangladesh’s economy is one of the 5 leading economies in the world. If a country’s leadership is efficient and dynamic, that country can move forward. Bangladesh is an example of that. We have kept the economy afloat under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, whereas various developed countries of the world failed to tackle COVID-19.
‘We got a maritime law in just three and a half years due to visionary leadership like Bangabandhu,’ he added. Where the UN has set foot 10 years later, Bangandhu had set foot 10 years ago. He had enacted about 150 laws. But neither India nor Pakistan could construct a constitution so fast after independence. It is difficult to find an example like Bangladesh.
The state minister said Chittagong port is the driving force behind Bangladesh’s dynamic leadership. We can be proud of Chittagong port. The main gateway of advancing Bangladesh is Chittagong port. We did not stop during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen the determination of the port officials and workers to take Bangladesh forward. According to the words of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the whole country and even the world has seen how you have acted as fearless soldiers when faced with the question of ‘life and livelihood’.
Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, Chairman of Chittagong Port Authority, said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had worked tirelessly to make Chittagong port operational since independence. With the cooperation of Russia, he started the operation by clearing Chittagong port of mines and wrecks within a year. Bangabandhu’s thoughts were far-reaching. He knew that Chittagong port, like all other ports of the country, would be the main driving force in the development of the country. To this end, he started the work of formulating Ordinance-1976 to give more power to the ports. Although it was later approved, he was the one who drafted it.
‘We have committed ourselves to implement the groundbreaking instructions given to us by the Hon’ble Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ he said. ‘Her philosophy was that we should continue our operational activities in coordination with ‘life and livelihood’. Continue the activities of the country’s economy. We have kept the port operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the midst of the pandemic, with her philosophy as the motto. That’s how we have been able to reach the desired goal. When the whole world came to a standstill and the transportation of goods stopped, Chittagong port was not closed for even a minute.’
The Chairman of the port said that in the past, ships carrying goods from different ports of the world had to wait at the outer anchorage. Now the ships’ waiting time is zero. Port turnaround time, as well as container dwell time, have been reduced. As the turnaround time decreased, the ship fares decreased and the insurance premium also decreased. The importers and exporters of our country are enjoying the benefits of this. We always strive to coordinate our work with our stakeholders.
‘In the last year alone, we have broken a 135-year history in container handling,’ he said. ‘We have handled a record number of 32 lacs and 14 thousand containers. Cargo handling has been more than 11 crores and 50 lac metric tonnes. In addition, we have handled a record number of 4,209 ships.’
Captain (Retd.) Sohail Hasan, Managing Director of Western Marine Shipyard, the maker of tugboat ‘Kandari-6’, said, ‘The ships we build are of international standard. They cost about half as much as imported ships. We can build all kinds of ships for the internal needs of the country. So far we have built 7 ships for Chittagong port and 13 for the Ministry of Shipping.’
Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Member of Parliament for Chandanaish, Chattogram, Board Member (Administration and Planning) of Chittagong Port Authority Md. Zafar Alam, Member (Finance) Md. Kamrul Amin, Member (Harbour and Marine) Commodore Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman, Member (Engineering) Captain Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Director (Administration) Md. Mominur Rashid, Director (Security) Lt. Colonel Mostafa Arif Ur-Rahman Khan, Director (Transport) Enamul Karim, Director (Power) S M Saiful Islam, Secretary Md. Omar Farooq, and other senior officials of Chittagong port, and various stakeholder institutions and organisations were present.
