Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad

The government of Bangladesh has approved two projects - one for building several terminals and yards and another for buying a number of large cranes.

The projects, once completed, will enhance the capacity of the country's second-largest port, at Mongla, to handle increased volume of cargo generated from Bangladesh's foreign trade as well as transhipped goods of neighbouring India, Nepal and Bhutan.

The government has committed to buying three mobile harbour cranes to handle 14-row containers, two tier-mounted multi-purpose cranes, and two mobile harbour cranes.

It is understood the order, valued at USD28 million, will go to Liebherr and its local agent, Maxon Power Ltd.

The port presently has six straddle carriers, two heavy-duty forklifts, three empty container handlers, 24 smaller forklifts, two reachstackers, six mobile cranes, five dock site cranes and 16 terminal tractors.

Mongla chairman Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad says completion of the project will enhance Mongla's container handling capacity to 0.4 million TEUs and cargo handling capacity will be doubled to 30 million T.