ASIA

..but prompt rethink of inland terminal project

22 years ago

Rising congestion at both Chittagong container terminal and on the highway linking the port with the capital Dhaka has prompted the Shipping Ministry in Bangladesh to revive the project to build an inland container terminal at Pangaon. First designed in 1995, the $20.89m facility, which will have an annual capacity of 160,000TEUs, will be built on a 90ha site and generate yearly profits of $6.96m.

Equipped with twin spreaders, they have a faster trolley speed and quicker lifting speed than existing Demag and Noell quayside equipment.

Chittagong Port Authority and the Bangladeshi Inland Water Transport Authority will oversee development, although the terminal itself will be operated by a private sector company. Boxes will be barged from the coast to the inland site, which will also be linked to the main highway via a new 4.5km spur road. A tender will be issued in November, with work to be complete by March 2006 and the first operations starting the following month.