BANGLADESH

The dream of a fully automated cargo handling system at Chittagong port has turned into a reality, with prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurating the container terminal management system (CTMS) and radiation detection system at the port.

The system would enable online maintenance of all operational activities at the country's premier port. These include loading and unloading of containers from ships, shifting of container in the yard, stacking, tracking, delivery and gate control.

Introducing CTMS -- the modern, digitised system of container handling -- and the radiation detection system on Tuesday, Hasina said: "We (the Awami League-led government) have been able to highlight Bangladesh's image in the global arena."

Suggesting that the opposition, when in power, had aided militants and made Bangladesh a terror-infested state, she said, "We have established ourselves as a model for curbing terrorism in the region and globally.

"The Awami League government wants to root out terrorism at any cost."

The CTMS was experimentally introduced on Oct 10. Initially, it did not include containers of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (BGMEA) for exporting, though the situation was eased for the RMG sector following requests from BGMEA leaders.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) secretary Syed Farhad Uddin told that under the new system, loaded containers would have to be handed over to the port authorities 24 hours in advance.

Exporters at present enjoy an extra 24 hours for handing over and loading containers, thanks to the privilege of cut-off time (time frame for loading goods). "After BGMEA's demand, its containers will have to be deposited 12 hours before a ship anchors," Farhad Uddin said.

He also said the system would help identify the position of any container with its online facility. "The container storage capacity of all jetties will be increased by 50 percent," he said.

Among those present at the inaugural function were shipping minister Shahajan Khan, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury Liton, shipping secretary Abdul Mannan Hawlader, US ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena, and Chittagong port chairman Anwarul Islam.