Bangladesh's main Chittagong port opened a new container yard on Sunday, officials said.
The new yard with space to store 3,200 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers, will help the port authority increase its storage capacity for containers to 17,725 TEUs.
It will also help reduce waiting and turn-around-times for ships calling at the port for discharging and recharging cargo, Commodore Mohammad Faruk, chairman, Chittagong Port Authority said while opening the container yard.
Mr Faruk also said the port had a plan to expand storage capacity to 122,000 containers but he did not say when the plan will be implemented.
The expansion for container storage was warranted after the port had introduced an advance berth reservation facility known as Fixed Day Window Berthing for ships intending to call at the port to load and unload cargo, since early last month.
The facility has cut the berthing time to 48 hours for container ships and 72 hours for bulkers, at the port which handles some 85 per cent of the country's external trade.
Container handling increased 10.46 per cent to 913,704 TEUs in the last fiscal year to June, from 827,174 TEUs in the previous year.
Cargo handling at Chittagong port rose 4 per cent to a record 27.13 million tonnes including containerised cargo in the fiscal year to June, due to improved efficiency and a drive against corruption.
The port handled 26.10 million tonnes in the previous fiscal year ended June 2006.
Cargo handled in the last fiscal year included 23.84 million tonnes of imports and 3.29 million tonnes of export shipments, including containers.
The new yard with space to store 3,200 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers, will help the port authority increase its storage capacity for containers to 17,725 TEUs.
It will also help reduce waiting and turn-around-times for ships calling at the port for discharging and recharging cargo, Commodore Mohammad Faruk, chairman, Chittagong Port Authority said while opening the container yard.
Mr Faruk also said the port had a plan to expand storage capacity to 122,000 containers but he did not say when the plan will be implemented.
The expansion for container storage was warranted after the port had introduced an advance berth reservation facility known as Fixed Day Window Berthing for ships intending to call at the port to load and unload cargo, since early last month.
The facility has cut the berthing time to 48 hours for container ships and 72 hours for bulkers, at the port which handles some 85 per cent of the country's external trade.
Container handling increased 10.46 per cent to 913,704 TEUs in the last fiscal year to June, from 827,174 TEUs in the previous year.
Cargo handling at Chittagong port rose 4 per cent to a record 27.13 million tonnes including containerised cargo in the fiscal year to June, due to improved efficiency and a drive against corruption.
The port handled 26.10 million tonnes in the previous fiscal year ended June 2006.
Cargo handled in the last fiscal year included 23.84 million tonnes of imports and 3.29 million tonnes of export shipments, including containers.