Chittagong to chop turnarounds in half
Steps implemented by a joint task force in agreement with stakeholders are said to be accelerating container handling operations at Bangladesh's Chittagong Port, after the government declared a state of emergency at the port.
The measures have helped to reduce the turnaround time for vessels from 14-16 days to seven or eight.
The improvements follow the arrest of a number of high-profile collective bargaining agents (CBA) and stevedoring leaders including Nurullah Bahar, Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Ibrahim and Raihan Sharif, who have been implicated in bribery and corruption at the port.
A report by the Bangladesh Daily Star said that the bribing of customs officials for goods clearance has stopped, although a small number of "highly secretive underhand dealings" continue at the port.
An investigative report by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) found that illicit transactions amounting to BDT4 billion (US$58.18 million) used to take place annually at the port.
Strong opposition from dockworkers and CBAs had derailed efforts by the government and the port authority to reform port operations, although the taskforce has been successful in introducing measures to speed up container handling and reduce port costs, which are at various stages of implementation.
Container handling at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) has recently been made the sole responsibility of Saif Powertec Limited, which now charges BDT1,200 for loading, unloading and transporting a container to and from the delivery yard.
The report said that before port users were forced to spend between BDT4,000 and BDT5,000 for the same services and that they had to bribe the equipment operators employed by the Chittagong Port Authority at various points.
The measures have helped to reduce the turnaround time for vessels from 14-16 days to seven or eight.
The improvements follow the arrest of a number of high-profile collective bargaining agents (CBA) and stevedoring leaders including Nurullah Bahar, Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Ibrahim and Raihan Sharif, who have been implicated in bribery and corruption at the port.
A report by the Bangladesh Daily Star said that the bribing of customs officials for goods clearance has stopped, although a small number of "highly secretive underhand dealings" continue at the port.
An investigative report by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) found that illicit transactions amounting to BDT4 billion (US$58.18 million) used to take place annually at the port.
Strong opposition from dockworkers and CBAs had derailed efforts by the government and the port authority to reform port operations, although the taskforce has been successful in introducing measures to speed up container handling and reduce port costs, which are at various stages of implementation.
Container handling at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) has recently been made the sole responsibility of Saif Powertec Limited, which now charges BDT1,200 for loading, unloading and transporting a container to and from the delivery yard.
The report said that before port users were forced to spend between BDT4,000 and BDT5,000 for the same services and that they had to bribe the equipment operators employed by the Chittagong Port Authority at various points.
