Coal unloading for Payra power plant resumes at Ctg port

After weeks of disruption, the coal unloading process for the Payra Thermal Power Plant has partially resumed, with one of four ships beginning operations at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port this morning (12 August).

The delay was caused by an outstanding debt of around Tk75 crore owed to a local logistics company responsible for transferring coal from mother vessels to lighter ships. The company had suspended operations for all four vessels. Unloading resumed after Bangladesh China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), the plant's operating firm, gave verbal assurances of payment.

According to the shipping agent, four vessels carrying coal for Payra Power Plant are currently waiting at Chattogram Port. The Norwegian-flagged MV Carmencita, carrying 57,270 metric tons of coal from Indonesia, began unloading on Tuesday. The vessel arrived at the port on 19 July.

Md Enam-ul Hoque, executive director of Bencon Seatrans Limited, local agent for the Carmencita, said unloading is expected to take six to seven days if weather permits. He added that when the remaining vessels will start unloading depends on the logistics company's decision. The goal is to clear all vessels and send them back promptly.

The suspension had left about 2.32 lakh tonnes of coal idle at the port, raising concerns of a production halt at the country's largest power plant, which has a generation capacity of 1,320 MW. The Payra plant requires roughly 10,000 tonnes of imported coal daily and imports around 400,000 tonnes monthly.

According to BCPCL, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has already paid for the imported coal on behalf of the government. However, as of July, BCPCL's outstanding dues to BPDB stood at nearly Tk8,000 crore. On 7 August, BCPCL requested Tk6,500 crore for arrears up to June. BPDB released only Tk100 crore on 11 August.

Local lightering companies said they had been unable to cover operational costs due to unpaid bills. BCPCL's payment assurances prompted the partial resumption of work. Coal unloading for the remaining three ships will begin once bills are cleared.

A senior BCPCL official, requesting anonymity, said the coal is supplied by Indonesia's PT Bayan and imported under deferred LC arrangements with $150 million in payments due within six months. The official added that the supplier's dues will be cleared in phases after receiving payments from BPDB.

From 19 July to 4 August, four mother vessels carrying a total of 231,870 tonnes of coal arrived at Chattogram Port's outer anchorage. These include MV Carmencita (Norwegian flag) carrying 57,270 tonnes which arrived on 19 July from Indonesia, Big Glory (Singapore flag) carrying 60,500 tonnes which arrived on 24 July, MV Clara (Liberian flag) carrying 55,100 tonnes which arrived on 3 August from Kariangau Port, Indonesia, and Theodore Veniamis (Panama flag) carrying 60,000 tonnes which arrived on 4 August.

Two more shipments, totaling 17,800 tonnes, are scheduled between 15 and 21 August.

Bencon Seatrans said delays are disrupting vessel schedules with BCPCL incurring around $15,000 per day in charter hire fees for each ship stranded at the port.