CPA prepares to run New Mooring terminal with final nod pending

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is preparing to take over the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) for now, as the current contract with private operator Saif Powertec Ltd is set to expire on July 6.

The CPA today floated an open tender to buy tractor-trailers with prime movers for NCT operations.

The tender, issued by the office of the CPA's chief mechanical engineer, is set to close at noon on July 3.

On June 18, a meeting at the Ministry of Shipping agreed in principle to hand over the operations of the port's largest terminal to the CPA. Following this, the port authority sought final approval from the government through the ministry.

However, the CPA is yet to receive any written confirmation, said its Secretary Md Omar Faruk.
"In the meantime, we are making all necessary internal preparations to operate the terminal for at least six months," he told The Daily Star today.

"CPA is capable of arranging everything required for the job if the ministry gives the nod," added Faruk.

Saif Powertec has been running the NCT since 2015, after being awarded the contract through direct tender.

The interim government has recently been in talks with UAE-based port operator DP World over a potential agreement to run the terminal. The initiative, which originated during the previous Awami League government, has faced opposition from major political parties.

Meanwhile, port users said that uninterrupted operations and performance at the terminal must be ensured, regardless of who takes over.

Mohammed Amirul Haque, chairman of Seacom Group, said port terminals should remain under the management of private firms.

Addressing concerns raised by political parties over potential threats to national supply chain security if the terminal were handed to foreign operators, he suggested an alternative approach.

"Foreign operators with modern technology could work in joint ventures with local partners to increase productivity," said Haque.

He recalled the dissolution of the Dock Workers Management Board and Staff Union in 2007. It enabled private berth operators to take over jetty and terminal operations.

Haque now insists that the private operators should be selected through open tenders to ensure a fair and competitive process.

He also called for the appointment of capable professionals at the CPA who have technical expertise.

"Competent officials from the Bangladesh Navy are appointed in key top management posts of the CPA, but most of them cannot continue their job as they are transferred in a short period, which is a problem," said the businessman.

Syed M Arif, chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association, said, "We only want the current performance and productivity at NCT to be maintained and, if possible, it needs to be improved further."

Fazle Ekram Chowdhury, president of the Berth Operators, Ship-Handling Operators, and Terminal Operators' Owners' Association, said the CPA could manage the NCT on a temporary basis, adding that most container-handling equipment there is owned by the authority.

"They would only need some manpower and prime movers, which is not that difficult," he added.
Nurul Qayyum Khan, president of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, said private terminal operators often do not have the equipment found in inland container depots.
He advocated involving a foreign operator to enhance the NCT's efficiency and productivity.