Ships to pass through new channel dredged in outer bar of Mongla port

Shipping has started to pass through the new channel dredged in the outer bar of Mongla port. The project titled "Dredging at the Outer Bar Area of Mongla Port Channel" for handling 10.5 m draft vessels in the anchorage area of ​​Mongla Port was approved at the ECNEC meeting at an estimated cost of Tk 712.50 crore.

After the approval of the project, Hong Kong River Engineering Co. Ltd.-China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation JV signed the agreement on December 13, 2018. The contractor started dredging after the contract was signed.

The dredging area is divided into two sections, one of which is located about 20 km south of Hiron Point in the open sea and the other section is adjacent to Hiron Point. After completing the section within the sea and about 85% of the dredging of the adjoining section at Hiron point creating a channel with a depth of 8.5 m CD depth in the entire channel from the fairway buoy to Hiron Point.

It should be noted that this channel is located on the west side of the currently used channel along Bangabandhu Char. Ships of higher drafts could not come to the port as the existing channel had a minimum depth of 6.5 m CD in some places from Fairway Buoy to Hiron Point. But after Hiron Point to Harbaria Anchorage, it has a depth of 8.5m CD and in some anchorages is 10.5 m CD to berth ships. Ships of high draft could not be brought to the anchorage of the port only for the limitation of the outer bar. Besides, the current channel is quite zigzag. As a result of dredging at a depth of 8.5m CD, the port is now facilitated to bring ships of 10.5 m draft at high tide.

Shipping has started from November 17, 2020 after installing buoy on the new dredged channel. As the new channel is relatively safe, it takes less time for ships to reach the port and the ships are able to arrive safely. This will greatly increase the number of ships in the port and the revenue is increasing. So far the overall progress of the project is 95% and the remaining work will be completed by December 2020.

It should be noted that, As one of the ENR-listed top 100 global contractors for consecutive nineteen years with a global business network in 103 countries and regions, CCECC has been engaged in a wide spectrum of infrastructure projects worldwide in diverse fields such as railway, road, elevated expressway, bridge, marine works including dredging, and housing projects in the capacity of an EPC Contractor or a private investor. Since its incorporation in Bangladesh from 2015, CCECC has been engaged in 10 no.s infrastructure development projects totaling more than 2.0 Billion US Dollars in the domains of railway engineering, dredging and marine works, and roads and highways.

AH