Prof ABM Mosharraf Husain, Bagerhat :
Some 131 -kilometer long water route from the fairway of the Bay of Bengal to jetties of Mongla Port has became risk- free after the completion of the dredging works of Pashur channel.
On the other hand, Mongla, the second Sea Port of the country get back its life and mobility to a great extent. At present as many as 33 ocean going water vessels of both home and abroad can anchor at the port at a time.
Following that the quantity of import of goods from Mongla Port has increased in the current fiscal year than that of in the last fiscal . Not only that but also Nepal, Bhutan and India are now interested to use Mongla port.
Mongla Port sources said , previously commercial ships of both home and abroad used to anchor at Karamjal, Joumonirghol and Harbouria areas, adjacent to Sundarban and unload the goods there.
It is further learnt from the source of the port that as the Pashur channel was silted up at its entry point the pilots of foreign ships were unwilling to reach the port during past years.
They hardly wanted to reach Honoraria area only. It is also known from the source that previously every year 1.04 feet sands (in height) were silted at the bottom of the channel Pashur. At that time the ships up to 9 meter draft (depth) could not reach the port for want of navigability. In the financial year of 1991-1992 China Harbaouria company removed 35 lakh cubic meters mud from the bottom of the Pashur channel at a cost of Tk.32 cr in order to make the channel navigable. Consequently, the channel has became navigable. After a few years Pashur channel once again lost its navigability. Then on April 29 in the year 2009, a project costing Tk. 100 crores was passed in the ECNEC for the dredging of Pashuir channel but later the cost of dredging increased and the dredging work started in the year 2012 and it was completed on November 23 in the year 2014.
A sum of Taka one hundred 11 crores 85 lakh was spent for the dredging purpose. Engineering Department of the Port said , when the Port was established in the year 1950, the depth of the meeting place of the river Mongla and the Pashur channel was 35 feet.
After the dredging work was completed depth of the channel was increased not to 35 feet. But it increased to a great extent. And at present big ships are able to move easily in the channel and as many as 33 ships can anchor at the jetties of the port at a time. Besides, there are as many as 4 transit sheets and 2 warehouses in the port where as many as 60 thousand metric tone goods can be easily stored. There are also 3 container yards and car yards where as many as 2 thousand cars will be accommodated at a time.
In the last financial year as many as 35 lakh 44 thousand metric tones goods were loaded and unloaded from the port while 36 lakh 81 lakh metric tones goods were loaded and unloaded from the port during the first 10 months of the current financial year. Kazi Golam Muktader, Traffic Director of the port authorities disclosed to the newsmen, Nepal and Bhutan have been using Holdia Port of Kolkata for long as they have no sea port. At present they can easily use Mongla Sea Port. Altap Hossain Khan, Chief Engineer (Naval) of Mongla Port disclosed to the newsmen, some 346 ships used the port during the last fiscal year while some 345 ships used the port during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. Talukdar Abdul Khalek. MP of Bagerhat Constituency (Mongla and Rampal Upazilas) -3 told the newsmen in a press conference held recently, the revenue of the port is increasing after the dredging work of Pashur channel was done. After the construction of the proposed Mongla-Khulna Rail line the activities, mobility and viability of the port will be increased to a great extent. It may be mentioned here that a team of Bhutan visited Bangladesh on July 11, 2013 in order to study the feasibility of Mongla Sea port.
It is learnt from the local sources that in the month of February, 1984 the then Premier of Nepal visited the port to know the facilities to be availed at the time of using the port. In the year 1997 when Nepal proposed to use the port the concerned ministry consented to it. Nepal imported some 63 thousand 3 hundred metric tone goods through this port during the period from September 1, 1997 to December, 1998. The goods were taken to Nepal by trucks through the check post of Bangladesh.
This process was suspended when the neighbouring country opposed it. In the year 1999 Nepal again proposed to use the port but in the long run it was not materialised as Nepal did not desire so.
It may be mentioned here that the activities of Mongla Sea Port started in the name of Chalna Anchorage with arrival of a foreign ship named MV. City of Lions in the river Pashur on December 11 in the year 1950. Later, in the year 1987 Chalna Anchorage was renamed as Mongla Sea Port.
Some 131 -kilometer long water route from the fairway of the Bay of Bengal to jetties of Mongla Port has became risk- free after the completion of the dredging works of Pashur channel.
On the other hand, Mongla, the second Sea Port of the country get back its life and mobility to a great extent. At present as many as 33 ocean going water vessels of both home and abroad can anchor at the port at a time.
Following that the quantity of import of goods from Mongla Port has increased in the current fiscal year than that of in the last fiscal . Not only that but also Nepal, Bhutan and India are now interested to use Mongla port.
Mongla Port sources said , previously commercial ships of both home and abroad used to anchor at Karamjal, Joumonirghol and Harbouria areas, adjacent to Sundarban and unload the goods there.
It is further learnt from the source of the port that as the Pashur channel was silted up at its entry point the pilots of foreign ships were unwilling to reach the port during past years.
They hardly wanted to reach Honoraria area only. It is also known from the source that previously every year 1.04 feet sands (in height) were silted at the bottom of the channel Pashur. At that time the ships up to 9 meter draft (depth) could not reach the port for want of navigability. In the financial year of 1991-1992 China Harbaouria company removed 35 lakh cubic meters mud from the bottom of the Pashur channel at a cost of Tk.32 cr in order to make the channel navigable. Consequently, the channel has became navigable. After a few years Pashur channel once again lost its navigability. Then on April 29 in the year 2009, a project costing Tk. 100 crores was passed in the ECNEC for the dredging of Pashuir channel but later the cost of dredging increased and the dredging work started in the year 2012 and it was completed on November 23 in the year 2014.
A sum of Taka one hundred 11 crores 85 lakh was spent for the dredging purpose. Engineering Department of the Port said , when the Port was established in the year 1950, the depth of the meeting place of the river Mongla and the Pashur channel was 35 feet.
After the dredging work was completed depth of the channel was increased not to 35 feet. But it increased to a great extent. And at present big ships are able to move easily in the channel and as many as 33 ships can anchor at the jetties of the port at a time. Besides, there are as many as 4 transit sheets and 2 warehouses in the port where as many as 60 thousand metric tone goods can be easily stored. There are also 3 container yards and car yards where as many as 2 thousand cars will be accommodated at a time.
In the last financial year as many as 35 lakh 44 thousand metric tones goods were loaded and unloaded from the port while 36 lakh 81 lakh metric tones goods were loaded and unloaded from the port during the first 10 months of the current financial year. Kazi Golam Muktader, Traffic Director of the port authorities disclosed to the newsmen, Nepal and Bhutan have been using Holdia Port of Kolkata for long as they have no sea port. At present they can easily use Mongla Sea Port. Altap Hossain Khan, Chief Engineer (Naval) of Mongla Port disclosed to the newsmen, some 346 ships used the port during the last fiscal year while some 345 ships used the port during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. Talukdar Abdul Khalek. MP of Bagerhat Constituency (Mongla and Rampal Upazilas) -3 told the newsmen in a press conference held recently, the revenue of the port is increasing after the dredging work of Pashur channel was done. After the construction of the proposed Mongla-Khulna Rail line the activities, mobility and viability of the port will be increased to a great extent. It may be mentioned here that a team of Bhutan visited Bangladesh on July 11, 2013 in order to study the feasibility of Mongla Sea port.
It is learnt from the local sources that in the month of February, 1984 the then Premier of Nepal visited the port to know the facilities to be availed at the time of using the port. In the year 1997 when Nepal proposed to use the port the concerned ministry consented to it. Nepal imported some 63 thousand 3 hundred metric tone goods through this port during the period from September 1, 1997 to December, 1998. The goods were taken to Nepal by trucks through the check post of Bangladesh.
This process was suspended when the neighbouring country opposed it. In the year 1999 Nepal again proposed to use the port but in the long run it was not materialised as Nepal did not desire so.
It may be mentioned here that the activities of Mongla Sea Port started in the name of Chalna Anchorage with arrival of a foreign ship named MV. City of Lions in the river Pashur on December 11 in the year 1950. Later, in the year 1987 Chalna Anchorage was renamed as Mongla Sea Port.
