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Case for a new deep draft port at Kutubdia or Moheshkali

5 December 2004, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Salahuddin Ahmad Dhanmondi, Dhaka
5 December 2004, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh is a developing country with rapidly increasing international trade. But we only have "one and a half port" which is proving increasingly inadequate to meet our trade needs. In another fifteen to twenty years it will simply become unmanageable and our trade will come to a standstill with all its ill effects. It takes about twenty-five years to develop a new port from the conception stage to a fully functional one. It is therefore necessary to start working on a new deep-sea port preferably at Kutubdia channel or Moheskal without any further delay.

Pakistan has recently developed a new port at 'Gawadar' at Makran….. coast in Beluchistan province with act… help from China. This new port will cut to the trade needs of Afghanistan, Central Asian countries, South West China besides Pakistan's own increasing trade needs.

We can approach China to help us build the new deep sea port at Kutubdia channel or Moheskhali to meet the trade needs of Myanmar, South China and north East India besides our own.

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Existing Chittagong port is both inefficient and expensive. I feel it is waste of time, money and space to invest on the storage space for containers. The storage of the port is to be used only for transit. Private entrepreneurs could be allowed to build 'Container Freight Station' or as more popularly known as CFS in different parts of the country. These CFSs would be custom bonded area where cargo could be loaded and discharged from containers by completing necessary custom formalities. If this is allowed then the containers immediately on discharge from vessel could be sent to the designated CFS thus leaving the port congestion free.

Functions of port e.g. loading, unloading of vessels, handling of containers, pilotage services, maintenance of the navigation channel and other such port functions could be out sourced to private companies. The condition and liaison with various agencies including shipping agents, ship owners, stevedores and others be done by the port Authority. For this port will require a small and efficient manpower.