KSRM’s Sadarghat Lighterage Jetty 4 goes into operation

Lighterage Jetty 4 in Chattogram's Sadarghat area went into operation on Thursday, eight years after it was built to cope with the pressure of increasing imports.

KSRM Steel Plant Limited— leaseholder of the jetty — officially launched it after Chattogram Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan urged the company last Sunday to operate it as soon as possible.

The jetty will be used to load and unload KSRM's own products, company officials said at the launching ceremony.

"This jetty will be used to load and unload our products. If required, it will be rented out to other companies for use. But that will depend on whether we have goods in the port or not," said Sarwar Jahan Rokon, Deputy Managing Director of KSRM.

"However," he added, "I don't think it will be necessary, as we continue to bring in products throughout the year."

KSRM CEO Meherul Karim said the jetty will be fully operated by the company's own management.

Four lighterage jetties were constructed in the Sadarghat area in 2013 to unload imported goods from large vessels at the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port and bring them to the coast using lighter vessels. But the authorities failed to make them operational due to a range of issues, including poor navigability of the Karnaphuli river.

KSRM will use their own lighterage vessels to carry out the task of bringing goods to the jetty, according to Karim.  

The leaseholders of the other three jetties are Rubi Food, BSRM, and AKS.