Ensuring sustainable improvement of Chittagong port

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

31 Oct 2010

The first meeting of the Chittagong Port Advisory Committee was held on Wednesday with the Shipping Minister in chair. The committee was formed in the wake of the deepening of the crisis recently centred on the port and when the port veritably turned inoperable from violence by a section of port workers and their backers. The army was called in prior to the formation of the committee. The activities of members of the army, who took charge of operations of the port, were praised in the meeting. The praise was well earned and had to be expressed for the army’s involvement led to dramatic improvements in the functioning of the port. The complete paralysis that gripped the port was overcome almost immediately and full functioning of it resumed as quickly. The turnaround time of ships that increased to 10-14 days before the complete cessation of activities in the port from violence, has declined appreciably to 3-4 days. Even better turnaround time is expected very soon.
The advisory committee’s meeting, while noting these positive developments, also gave its opinion that the deployment of the army at Chittagong Port cannot be a long lasting system. The Minister is quoted to have made this remark which is understandable and in the fitness of things. But he was also reported as saying that the army would be withdrawn after a period of three months. But this is exactly also the point of concern for the port’s users. A section of businesses were not present in the advisory committee’s meeting due to their differences of opinion with the members from the government side who think that an early return to civilian operation of the port is both possible and highly desirable. The greater part of business bodies did attend the committee’s meeting finally but grudgingly and only to convey their opinion that the army should be withdrawn after ensuring that the port would continue to run well on a sustainable basis after their withdrawal.
Businesses remain rightly concerned that the port’s conditions could once again start deteriorating the moment the army is asked to give up its healing tasks. From 2007, the then caretaker government shook up the century-old system of the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and introduced a single-point integrated berth operating by using the army. This and other reforms revolutionized the working of the port for the better. The turnaround time of ships came down to 2 to 2.5 days from 6-8 days or longer. The system was working from keeping it after the exit of the caretaker government. But gradually the system disintegrated reflected in the steadily worsening conditions and finally the coming to a standstill all activities of the port when the army took over in the early part of the current month. This happened for the express reasons of the CPA, the relevant ministry and the workers’ unions, failing to act in concert with the lasting good of the port in their focus.
The vested interests who were at work in recent years to undermine the port’s efficiency for their selfish gains, staged a full comeback almost unopposed from where it mattered. The recent crisis in the port that reached a flash point this month did not occur spontaneously. It was in the making for the last five months when the port’s conditions progressively deteriorated. The writing was there in the wall for all to see. But hardly any proactive stance was noted on the part of the authorities to head the same off.
Thus, the view of all categories of port’s users from the standpoint of business is that the port must not be allowed to go back to a state of under-performance again. They oppose the idea that it should be a priority to send the army back from the port in inordinate haste. They are all for a longer period of stay by the army as a realistic stop-gap arrangement and in the interim period the port’s institutions, including legal and other frameworks, should be built up to ensure that the vested interests do not find a scope to reassert their power or influence after the army departs.

Source: Financial Express