Editorial
Constructing seaport at Kuakata
Managing the existing ones should be the focus
The government has reportedly prepared the groundwork for the construction of a seaport at Kuakata. In other words a third port is envisioned to offer India, Nepal and Bhutan the facility of shipment after transiting their goods through Bangladesh territory. On the face of it, it's a welcome piece of news promising to facilitate intra-regional connectivity.
Questions will however naturally arise about full utilisation of the operational capacity of Chittagong Port, which is to currently handle nearly ninety percent of the country's maritime trade. But how is it faring? The turnaround time at the Chittagong Port was over 10 days before the last caretaker government took over. The situation dramatically improved during the caretaker regime, but things are again slowing down. When the major seaport of the country fails to live up to international standards, the losses incurred through demurrage can be very heavy, as we have seen in case of the Chittagong Port. As for Mongla Port, it now appears to be a forlorn cause since it has been performing well below its installed capacity for a long time -- something around 25 per cent of it.
Construction of a new seaport can produce the desired results only when it is not plagued by strident trade unionism and resistance to modernisation that invariably leads to job cuts. The business is highly competitive as shipping companies look for safe ports where quick service delivery is guaranteed. Our ports have lost a lot ground to their competitors in recent past. Now, with regional connectivity related loads envisaged are the two ports themselves prepared? Management is at issue here, in addition to revamping of the port capacities.
Our expertise in port management leaves a lot to be desired. So, improvement in this area is badly needed before we can make the most out of constructing another port.
Kuakata is also known as a tourist resort having great potential. It is imperative that the impact of a seaport in its vicinity on the tourist spot is carefully weighed before construction of the port gets underway.
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