Amid the economic slump due to coronavirus pandemic, the government is are determined to keep Chattogram port operational for the sake of national interest, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury.
“We have to ensure the safety to the port workers. If anything happens, the authorities concerned will look into it,” he said at an exchange meeting with senior officials at Bandarban on Thursday.
Terming the port as the lifeline of Bangladesh, Khalid said, “As we are in charge of loading and unloading the product, we are determined to keep the port operational to tackle global crisis.”
The government is going to allow the port authorities to move 18,000 containers to private container depots (off-dock) to ease container congestion, Shipping Secretary Mohammad Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury said. “Our target is to reduce the tangle,” he added.
Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Sheikh Abul Kalam Azad, Member of Port Md. Zafar Alam and Port Secretary Omar Faruq were present on the occasion.
The Chattogram seaport handles 91 percent of Bangladesh’s exports and 82 percent of its imports. Recently, the port came to a halt amid the nationwide shutdown to prevent coronavirus infection.
As many as 33 ships carrying 36,000 containers are waiting at the outer anchorage to be unloaded by sending off-dock containers from the port.
