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[Saif]

Ctg Port: Container transport resumes after 3 days

Container transport to and from the Chittagong Port resumed this evening after three days as prime movers’ drivers and helpers finally withdrew their work abstention

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Ctg Port: Container transport resumes after 3 days

File photo

Container transport to and from the Chittagong Port resumed this evening after three days as prime movers' drivers and helpers finally withdrew their work abstention.

The drivers of container-ferrying vehicles resumed work at 8:00pm after a successful two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with law enforcement agencies at the Office of Deputy Commissioner (Port) of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police, CMP DC Badrul Alam Molla confirmed to The Daily Star.

Prime mover workers enforced the work abstention on Tuesday night following a clash between a group of prime mover drivers and security guards of Chattogram DC Park located beside Chattogram Port Toll Road at Fouzderhat in Sitakunda upazila.

The following stalemate suspended container transport between the port and 21 private inland container depots (ICDs) located in and around the port city.

Two vessels sailed from the port today, leaving over 300 TEUs of export containers since these containers could not be sent to the port from different private ICDs due to the non-operation of container carrying vehicles.

Md Selim Khan, president of Chattogram District Prime Mover Trailer Workers Union, told The Daily Star that the administration assured of keeping the DC Park closed temporarily and taking steps to create an alternative route for visitors to reach the park so that they do not need using the Port Toll Road for going there.

Prime movers and other cargo carrying vehicles to and from the port face hurdles to cross the area due to acute gridlock caused everyday by visitors' vehicles as the park is located just beside the busy road, he said.

Tuesday's clash ensued when the park's security guards assaulted a driver of a prime mover for not slowing down promptly according to their signal when a private car was exiting the park.

The workers withdrew the strike at 6:00am on Thursday after a meeting between Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanam held the previous night.

But drivers started striking again at 10:00am Thursday when they found the park was opened despite assurances from the administration of keeping it closed.​

 

[Saif]

Inbound vessels struggle to berth at Ctg port

A long queue of inbound vessels has formed at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port as sufficient berths are unavailable due to delays in scheduled departures caused by disruptions in container movement late last week.

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Inbound vessels struggle to berth at Ctg port
Port users blame delayed departures amid container backlog

A long queue of inbound vessels has formed at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port as sufficient berths are unavailable due to delays in scheduled departures caused by disruptions in container movement late last week.

Operators of prime movers, which are vehicles used for transporting import-export containers, had abstained from work for more than three days due to a dispute with security personnel at Chattogram DC Park in Sitakunda upazila.

And although cargo movement resumed on Friday night, the acute backlog of containers in port yards and private inland container depots (ICDs) may persist for another two weeks or more, according to port users.

The three-day stalemate delayed the scheduled departure of at least six vessels, with each extending their stay by one to four days in hopes of securing their previously allotted containers.

However, four of these vessels left the port with less than their anticipated load as 1,900 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), comprising 900 TEUs of export containers and 1,000 TEUs of empty containers, were left behind.

And since these vessels had to stay additional days at the port jetties, berthing delays occurred for other incoming vessels.

As of yesterday morning, a total of 14 vessels seeking berths were waiting at the outer anchorage of the port.

When transport workers began their strike on February 5, only three vessels were awaiting berths. But with delays lasting between one and three days, other vessels added to their numbers.

Berth operators assume that some of these inbound vessels may have to wait even longer since some of the outbound vessels have extended their stay to collect the allotted load.

Besides, import, export, and empty containers have piled up at port yards and ICDs amid the halt in cargo movement.

The port's busiest terminals – New Mooring Container Terminal and Chittagong Container Terminal – have reached 80 percent of their full capacity of 26,000 TEUs.

Nazmul Haque, executive director of Saif Powertec Limited, which operates the two terminals, said the backlog began because no containers were transferred to and from ICDs during the three-day strike.

He added that on average, more than 2,500 TEUs of import containers are delivered or transferred to ICDs each day. And while this did not happen during the three-day period, another 3,000 TEUs had arrived at the time.

Haque also said at least 40 percent of the port's yard space must be kept empty to ensure smooth operations. And considering the situation, he fears it may take two weeks to clear the backlog.

Likewise, ICDs are struggling to clear the backlog, with 19 that handle import-export containers currently holding double their full capacity.

These 19 ICDs usually accommodate 7,000 to 8,000 TEUs of export containers. But due to the three-day stalemate, the number of export-laden containers they now hold has reached 14,000 TEUs.

Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, said they were still occupied with 12,000 TEUs as of yesterday afternoon even though a significant volume was transported since the strike ended.

"Any sort of stalemate creates a chain effect at every stage of the supply chain, causing backlogs in every facility," said Sikder, who fears that it will take another 15 days to clear the backlog.​

 

[Saif]

BR test runs passenger train on new Jamuna railway bridge

The longest dedicated railway bridge of the country will be inaugurated formally on March 18

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BR test runs passenger train on new Jamuna railway bridge

Photo Courtesy: Jamuna Railway Bridge Project Authority

Bangladesh Railway today started operating passengers train through the newly built Jamuna Railway Bridge on trial basis, a month before its formal inauguration.

The longest dedicated railway bridge of the country will be inaugurated formally on March 18, Al Fattah Md Masudur Rahman, additional director general (infrastructure) of BR, told The Daily Star today.

Masudur, also project director of bridge, said they have started using one of the two lines of bridge for the trial operation from today.

Earlier, they gave several trial runs without passengers.

He said the president of JICA, the financer of the over Tk 17,000 crore project, will take part in the bridge inauguration programme.

The 4.8km double line dual gauge bridge over Jamuna River will boost rail connectivity between Dhaka and northwestern regions.​

 

[Saif]

Dhaka airport still not fog-ready

Passengers are experiencing severe difficulties due to frequent flight diversions caused by low visibility amid dense fog during winter, as pilots are unable to land aircrafts in the absence of a Category 2 Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Dhaka airport.

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Dhaka airport still not fog-ready
Passengers suffer for frequent flight diversions; airlines bear losses as CAAB fails to upgrade ILS

Passengers are experiencing severe difficulties due to frequent flight diversions caused by low visibility amid dense fog during winter, as pilots are unable to land aircrafts in the absence of a Category 2 Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Dhaka airport.

Aviation experts said upgrading the airport's existing Category 1 ILS to Category 2 would resolve these issues entirely. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has yet to complete the necessary work.

ILS is a precision runway approach aid that relies on radio signals and high-intensity lighting arrays to provide pilots with both vertical and horizontal guidance during landings in thick fog.

Successive CAAB chiefs have assured that the installation of an upgraded ILS to ensure uninterrupted flight operations during winter would be completed soon. However, despite repeated promises, one winter has passed after another without the work being finished.

Flights are frequently diverted from Dhaka to airports in Sylhet, Chattogram, India, Bangkok, and even Malaysia when runway operations are suspended for hours due to low visibility, causing significant disruptions to flight schedules, according to officials of various airlines.

These diversions not only lead to passengers suffering, but also result in financial losses for airlines, which must bear the cost of extra fuel and various airport charges, including landing and parking fees, at alternative airports.

The disruptions also lead to delays across overall flight schedules.

"During this winter, we spent around Tk 6 crore so far due to diversion of our flights," said an official of US-Bangla Airlines.

A senior pilot of Biman Bangladesh Airlines said diverting a flight to another airport and returning to Dhaka requires a substantial amount of fuel, depending on the distance. "The additional take-offs and landings caused by diversions also lead to increased maintenance costs, as aircraft engines require overhauling sooner than expected," he added.

Captain Ashfaq Ur Rahman Khan, flight safety chief of Novoair, said the absence of ILS-2 forces airlines to waste time, energy, and money while passengers continue to suffer.

Captain Md Kamrul Islam, head of safety at Air Astra, said the Dhaka airport actually requires a Category 3 ILS system, as major airports, including Kolkata, already have Category 2.

Explaining the matter, Kamrul said a Category-3 ILS enables a pilot to land even in zero visibility.

Novoair Managing Director Md Mofizur Rahman said it's really disappointing that CAAB failed to upgrade the Dhaka airport's ILS to Category 2 even after years.

According to pilots, a minimum visibility of 800 metres is required for landing at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Upgrading the airport's ILS would involve the implementation of a highly accurate radio signal-based navigation aid providing horizontal and vertical guidance. One type of signal gives the glide path, while another indicates the runway's central line, offering pilots precise bearings for landing.

CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan said nearly all procedural and mechanical work for the ILS-2 project, including the installation of runway lights, has been completed.

He said the final step involves acquiring an aircraft to assess and survey the system's functionality. Despite issuing open tenders three times, CAAB has not received any responses for the required aircraft. Efforts are ongoing to complete the task as soon as possible.​

 

[Saif]

Railway operations running at half of requirement for over a month

The Chattogram port has been facing acute congestion caused by a pileup of import-laden containers, particularly ones bound for the Kamalapur inland container depot (ICD) in Dhaka.

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Ctg port overrun by Dhaka-bound containers
Railway operations running at half of requirement for over a month

For over a month, authorities have been running only one or two pairs of freight trains between the port and the Dhaka ICD per day. Photo: Star/file

The Chattogram port has been facing acute congestion caused by a pileup of import-laden containers, particularly ones bound for the Kamalapur inland container depot (ICD) in Dhaka.

This issue has been caused by slow railway transport due to a shortage of locomotives.

For over a month, authorities have been running only one or two pairs of freight trains between the port and the Dhaka ICD per day.

But port authorities say at least four pairs of trains need to make the trip daily to clear containers arriving at the dedicated Chattogram Goods Port Yard (CGPY).

An increase in the import of goods ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which starts next month, only caused the pressure to intensify.

Around 70 percent of the goods arriving at the port belong to importers based in Dhaka and its surrounding areas. Of those, around 3 percent are transported by railways while the rest are moved over road and river routes.

The CGPY has space to store up to 876 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of Dhaka ICD-bound import-laden containers.

However, as of yesterday, it had exceeded more than twice the capacity, with 1,818 TEUs being crammed inside, raising concerns among the port authority as well as importers.

Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association Vice-President Khairul Alam Suzan said containers unloaded from vessels 15 days ago were yet to be loaded onto Dhaka-bound trains.

Sources at the port informed that at least 500 TEUs of Dhaka-bound containers were on board several vessels waiting to berth at the port.

Port users and officials said at least four trains are required to run daily and take away at least 200 TEUs of containers from the CGPY to Dhaka in order for the yard to function smoothly.

Data collected from the port shows that the railway made only 28 trips in the first 15 days of this month, taking 1,167 TEUs of containers to Dhaka.

From January 1 to January 31, a total of 68 trips were made, bringing 2,698 TEUs from the port to Dhaka.

Abdul Malek, chief master of the railway at the CGPY, said they need at least 4 to 5 locomotives to run daily whereas they are currently getting only one or two.

With the introduction of several train services on different routes, including the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar route, several locomotives have become otherwise engaged, causing a scarcity, he added.

To find a solution, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) sat in an urgent meeting with officials of Bangladesh Railway and Chattogram Custom House on Tuesday.

CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said they urged the railway authorities at the meeting to run at least three trains every day in order to carry a significant volume of containers to Dhaka.

To clear the backlog, he said the Chattogram Custom House was requested to give approval to take delivery of these Dhaka-bound containers either from the port yard or from the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj.

The authorities of both institutions assured that they would take steps accordingly, Faruk said, adding that they were preparing to send letters to the two in this regard yesterday.

Usually, imported cargo is allowed to be delivered to the recipients from the destination point as mentioned in the import documents.​