Modernisation efforts drive Mongla Port to more ship arrivals

Both container handling and revenues have increased at Mongla Port, thanks to a surge in the arrival of ships after its facilities and navigability improved.  

During the July-March period of FY24, container handling at the country's second largest seaport surged by 30.59%, while its net profit rose 21.28% year-on-year, according to data from the Mongla Port Authority (MPA).     

In April, it witnessed the arrival of eight container ships carrying a record 1,875 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers. 

"In the port's history, it is the highest number of arrival of container ships. In total, they carried 1,875 TEU containers," Md Makruzzaman, MPA's deputy director (Public Relations), told The Business Standard. 

A similar number of ships also came to the port in a single month in 2019 and 2020, but the number of containers was lower at the time, he added.  

Total container handling stood at 25,028 TEUs in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, up from 19,165 TEUs during the same period a year earlier, Makruzzaman said. 

On the other hand, the port's net profit rose to Tk70.19 crore from Tk57.87 crore in the same period during the last fiscal year. 

Explaining the reasons, the port official said the increase in modern facilities and the addition of container handling equipment are making it possible to unload and load containers quickly from the jetty.

Besides, the availability of gearless ship handling has increased the confidence of traders in the port while reducing cargo handling costs at the port, he added. 

"We regularly meet businessmen to encourage them to use the port," said Makruzzaman. 

In order to improve port facilities as well as navigability, the government undertook 19 development projects involving Tk1,899 crore between 2009 and 2023, of which five are currently underway. 

More than 136 different types of cargo and container handling equipment have been procured, according to MPA officials. 

Under the development projects, 3.11 crore cubic metres of dredging work have been carried out in an area of about 36 km in various places of the Pashur Channel. 

As a result, ships with up to 9.5m of draft can reach the anchorage and vessels with 8.5m draft can smoothly arrive at the jetty at normal tides. 

In addition, 128 different types of buoys, two rotating beacons, six GRP light towers, and associated equipment have been installed in the port channel. 

Ships can now arrive at the port round the clock, enabling a smooth and speedy handling of cargo and containers. 

Mongla was a profitable port from FY1990-91 to FY2001-02. But it turned into a losing port between FY2002-03 and FY2006-07 before turning around in FY2007-08. 

For the last 4-5 years, Mongla Port has been posting more than Tk100 crore profit per year.