Chattogram Port ranks 58th among world’s top 100 busiest ports

Chattogram Port, the country’s gateway of overseas trade, has advanced six steps in terms of annual handling of containers in latest edition of Lloyd’s List, world’s oldest journal on port and shipping.

The port secured the 58th position among the 100 busiest container handling ports of the world in 2020.

In 2019, the port was on the 64th position in the list of ‘One Hundred Ports’, prepared by Lloyd’s List.

Shanghai Port of China secured the top position in the list of 2020. It also topped the list in the two previous years.

The latest 2020 edition of Lloyd’s List of One Hundred Ports has been published recently, tallying up the annual container handling figures of the world’s elite port facilities in 2019.

As per Lloyd’s List of 2019 the Chattogram port handled around 3.88 million TEUs of containers and in 2018 the Chattogram port handled around 2.93 million TEUs of containers. The growth rate was annual 6.3 percent container handling.

Such growth helped the port in advancing six steps from its last year’s position. Earlier, it was ranked 64th in 2018, 71st in 2017, while 76th and 87th in 2016 and 2015 editions of the Lloyd’s List report respectively.

The Chattogram Port entered the list first time in 2009 securing 98th position.

The Chattogram Port has grown 41 steps in the last 12 years through continuous growth, port sources said.

Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral Abul Kalam Azad mentioned a number of reasons behind the enhancement of the port’s capacity that contributed to the achievement.

The port’s yard space has been widened at over million square metre, enhancing its capacity to store more containers, the chairman said, adding that huge gantry cranes were added to its fleet, which have accelerated the port’s container handling capacity to a great extent.

The Chattogram Port has been able to achieve the envious success due to the constant support and direction by Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said.

State Minister and secretary of shipping ministry were also instrumental behind this success.

Besides, port terminal operators, berths and ship handling operators, FBCCI, Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association, BGMEA, BKMEA, C&F Association’s contribution to the success.

This progress of Chattogram Port has been achieved due to the direct cooperation and sincerity of all the port users, port workers, officials and employees including Freight Forwarders Association, Rikda, he added.

He said the number of container handling would increase further when the ongoing Patenga Container Terminal and Bay Terminal would go into operation.