Chittagong port congestion worsens after ship rams into 2 cranes
- Author:Alex
- Source:Sunny worldwide logistics
- Release Date:2017-07-05
CONTAINER handling capacity for gearless vessels has been cut by half, after a ship knocked out two gantry cranes at Chittagong port in Bangladesh.
The accident took place on June 25 when the X-Press Suez, owned and operated by Singapore-based Sea Consortium, rammed into two cranes while berthing at the Chittagong Container Terminal. The 184-metre long vessel was carrying 800 containers at the time.
Although the terminal is closed, a jetty designated for goods moving to and from the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal will handle international shipments, but only geared vessels will be able to use that site, port spokesperson Zafar Alam said, according to IHS Media.
"We are going for alternative types of management to avoid any congestion during the interim period until the two cranes are in place after repair," Mr Alam was quoted as saying.
Port users fear further delays in container handling in the already congested port following the incident, and apparel manufacturers worry delays may lead to order cuts by foreign buyers as some vessels may need to wait more than 10 days to berth.
Technicians from Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation, which built the two cranes, have been invited to assess the damage and repair them, but it may take several months to repair the cranes, port officials said.
"After the crane incident the congestion will increase further," president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Siddiqur Rahman, said. "Apparel makers will incur huge loss unless the two cranes are repaired quickly and put on operation."
Port officials said before the Eid vacation (June 25 to 27) an average of 14 vessels had to wait at the outer anchorage. After Eid vacation on June 28, following the incident, 24 vessels were waiting to berth.
The accident took place on June 25 when the X-Press Suez, owned and operated by Singapore-based Sea Consortium, rammed into two cranes while berthing at the Chittagong Container Terminal. The 184-metre long vessel was carrying 800 containers at the time.
Although the terminal is closed, a jetty designated for goods moving to and from the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal will handle international shipments, but only geared vessels will be able to use that site, port spokesperson Zafar Alam said, according to IHS Media.
"We are going for alternative types of management to avoid any congestion during the interim period until the two cranes are in place after repair," Mr Alam was quoted as saying.
Port users fear further delays in container handling in the already congested port following the incident, and apparel manufacturers worry delays may lead to order cuts by foreign buyers as some vessels may need to wait more than 10 days to berth.
Technicians from Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation, which built the two cranes, have been invited to assess the damage and repair them, but it may take several months to repair the cranes, port officials said.
"After the crane incident the congestion will increase further," president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Siddiqur Rahman, said. "Apparel makers will incur huge loss unless the two cranes are repaired quickly and put on operation."
Port officials said before the Eid vacation (June 25 to 27) an average of 14 vessels had to wait at the outer anchorage. After Eid vacation on June 28, following the incident, 24 vessels were waiting to berth.