Exporters want delay in launching container management software

Garment exporters yesterday urged the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) to further delay the launch of container terminal management software as the country's weak transport system will need some more time to be ready for such an upgrade.

They said, once the system is launched, they will have to ensure loading of goods 72 hours before departure of ships from the port.

But, now the garment exporters have to load goods even minutes before departure of the ships, due to delay in transporting goods for severe traffic jam, the exporters said.

Also, production is delayed often due to inadequate supply of gas and power, they said at a meeting on the introduction of Container Terminal Management System (CTMS) at Chittagong Port for efficient cargo handling.

“We want the CPA to delay the implementation of the CTMS by one year so that we can prepare ourselves for it with the improvement of roads and river transportation system,” said Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), at the meeting at BGMEA auditorium in Dhaka.

He also urged the government to upgrade the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to four lanes from the existing two.

The government should also introduce the Pangaon and Khanpur river ports in Narayanganj to help the exporters send goods through river routes, Mohiuddin said.

CPA Chairman Commodore M Anwarul Islam said the trial-run of the CTMS software was scheduled for last month to bring global standards in the operations of the port.

But, the launch was deferred on request of the garment exporters. “We have a plan to introduce the CTMS on October 9 on a trial basis for three months,” he said.

The implementation of the CTMS is an obligation for the CPA as per the rules of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Islam said.

He said the implementation of the CTMS will ensure proper planning of berth application, vessel, yard and equipment, stripping, rail module, gate control and billing.

The CTMS also promises easy tracking of containers in real time and execution of plans, he said.

The port handled around 1.5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers in fiscal 2010-11, up from 1.21 million TEUs containers in 2009-10, he said.

AKM Salim Osman, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and AK Azad, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, also spoke.

The government installed the CTMS at $5.7 million financed by Asian Development Bank and the CPA itself.