Key gantry cranes maintenance started by CPA
Chittagong Port Authority is finally started the maintenance of key gantry crane used for loading goods at Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT). The first key gantry crane was added to the terminal in 2005. For the first time in 15 years, the cranes are undergoing major repairs. The cranes were often crippled during lifting because they had not been repaired or serviced for a long time. This also slowed down the movement of goods.
So far 1 gantry crane repairing job has been completed; Another repair work will be completed next week. The remaining two key gantry cranes will also be repaired step by step. The port authorities hope that after completion of the repairing job , the movement of goods will pick up speed.
Expenditure of the Gantry Repair Job:
Port users say that it has cost Tk 30 crore to repair two key gantry cranes. And a new key gantry crane 56 crore. It would have been better to buy a new key gantry crane instead of repairing it at such a huge cost. Because CCT’s gantry cranes are very old models.
CPA said that we are repairing two key gantry cranes in the first phase. The other two are still performing well so those two will be repaired in the next step. When the two repairs are completed, it is possible to lift the product as before. It is not possible to buy two new key gantry cranes if you want. So even if they are old, they have to be repaired and run as long as possible.
Present Situation of the Gantry Cranes:
It is learned that there are a total of 14 key gantry cranes in the two terminals of Chittagong port. Four more key gantry cranes are being purchased. The port authorities started loading goods at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) in 2005 by adding the first four gantry cranes.
All four gantry cranes are manufactured by Mitsui Corporation of Japan. With the success of that terminal, plans were made to add a key gantry crane to the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), another terminal built in 2006. But it takes 12 years for the port to buy that gantry crane. In 2019, 10 key gantry cranes were added to the NCT; All were bought from China. From ZPMC organization in China. As a result of lifting the goods with this crane, the port authorities are enjoying the benefits of lifting additional containers every year. In that continuity, the port authorities are adding four more key gantry cranes to the NCT.
Since its purchase in 2005, four key gantry cranes at the Chittagong Container Terminal have been crippled for some time. In the last 2016, two key gantry cranes of CCT were damaged due to a collision with a foreign ship.CCT’s key gantry cranes were often got out of order in the middle of work. As a result, there were only 10-15 containers against the target of unloading 25 to 30 containers per hour. As the speed decreased, the ship took take extra time.