Gearless cargo handling begins at Mongla port
For the first time in 71 years, Mongla port has successfully handled the loading and unloading of goods from a gearless cargo, a bulker without cranes or conveyors.
The port authorities used their two newly purchased multipurpose and four mobile harbour cranes to load and discharge goods from Panama flag bearer container ship MV Filotimo.
Earlier on Thursday, 3 February, the 172-metre-long and 6.9-metre-deep MV Filotimo ship arrived at Mongla port with 486 containers.
After a total of 263 cargo containers were unloaded and 344 containers of exportable goods were loaded, the bulker left the port for Malaysia on Sunday evening.
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"This is the first time that a gearless ship [without its own crane] arrived at Mongla Port, after 71 years of its establishment in 1950," Mongla Port Authority Board and Public Relations Deputy Secretary Md Makruzzaman told The Business Standard.
The port authority upgraded its facilities by importing five ultramodern mobile harbour cranes last year, prior to which, only cargo vessels with their own cranes were welcomed at Mongla port.
According to Rear Admiral Mohammad Musa, chairman of the Mongla Port Authority, a Tk700 crore (approximately) project has been undertaken for modernising and building the capacity of the port.
Md Makruzzaman said, "With the installation of the new cranes, the container handling productivity of the port has increased to 15 containers per hour from an average of eight containers per hour."
"Moreover, the turnaround time at the port has reduced to two days in the fiscal year 2021-22 while in the previous year it was almost three days," he said, adding that both the cost and time of the traders are being saved as a result.
