Congested Chittagong hires berth operators

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has signed agreements with six berth operators to handle containers for the next three years amid the declining efficiency of the port which is always congested, reported The Financial Express (Bangladesh).

The authority will save about US$7.15 million for the next three years as the operators are appointed through tender process.

"The agreements have been signed and they can start work any day they want," CPA secretary Syed Farhad Uddin Ahmed said.

"They are the same operators which used to work for the CPA before May and this time the authority will have to pay about $1 million less for their service for next three years," Farhad said.

The CPA paid them $2.72 million each for handling containers for three years, but now they will be paid about $1.5 million, he said.

The authority in July appointed six private berth operators to handle general cargoes at the port and saved about $11.44 million for the next three years.

All the operators were appointed during the period of the caretaker government in 2007 under the hand-picked system, but the CPA has now appointed the new operators through tender.

"We are happy about the deal and we hope that the port situation will improve within the shortest possible time," Farhad said, adding, "CPA has never had the experience to operate at the port and that's why the situation deteriorated."
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)