Rough weather halts unloading of goods at Ctg port

Unloading of imported goods from cargo vessels at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port has remained almost suspended for the last three days due to rain and rough sea, leaving consignees staring at huge overstaying charges.

A total of 37 cargo vessels with about seven lakh tonnes of goods including wheat, soybean oil, salt and cement clinkers are now tethered at the outer anchorage, according to ship handling operators.

For instance, MV Parth-1, a cargo vessel with 46,800 tonnes of gypsum, arrived at the outer anchorage on June 17; some 20,525 tonnes of goods could be lightered till Sunday when the rain started.

Sarwar Hossain, director of the operating firm, said no goods could be unloaded from the vessel for the last three days.

Had normal weather prevailed, the vessel would have left by this time, he said, adding that the consignee would have to bear fines of $12,000 per day for the overstaying of the vessel.

Ataul Karim, an official of Water Transport Cell, a private organisation that allots lighter vessels, said 40 vessels were assigned on Sunday for unloading goods from 10 of the cargo ships at outer anchorage but none could be engaged in the work due to rain and rough sea.

The local Met office has recorded 147 millimetres of rainfall in and around Chittagong city in the 24 hours till 3pm yesterday.

Failing to go to the outer anchorage for lightering good, around 40 lighter vessels are now sitting idle in the Karnaphuli river.

The bad weather also hampered the loading and unloading of goods, mainly bulk cargo, at the main jetties of the port, according to Golam Sarwar, director of traffic of Chittagong Port Authority.