CHATTOGRAM: The largest vessel in Bangladesh’s history having 229-metre length and 12.5-metre draught took berth at the Coal Jetty of Matarbari Terminal at Moheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday.
The Panama-flagged bulk carrier MV Owusu Maru brought 67,000 tonnes of coal from Tarahan of Indonesia for the 1200 MW Coal-fired Power Plant being developed at the Matarbari.
Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Deputy Conservator Captain Faridul Alam said the vessel took a berth safely at the coal jetty of the Matarbari Terminal around 3:42 pm local time.
Sources familiar with the matter said some 112 vessels took berths at the jetty with different construction materials for the power plant.
MV Owusu Maru is the first vessel to bring coal at Matarbari and the biggest among the vessels that took berths in any jetty in the country, they said.
Vessels having 200-metre length and 10-metre draught can take berths at the jetty of Chattogram port now.
The Matarbari 1200MW Coal-fired Power Plant is expected to start generation in June this year, the sources said.
To implement the project within the timeframe of December 31 in 2026, the construction work of jetties and container yards will start in July.
Currently, the authorities completed the drawing and design of the project involving Tk 17,777 crore and work has already started to make it operational.
There will be six jetties for containers at the port and three of them will be built in the first phase.
Besides, another three jetties will be built for multipurpose uses including LPG, LNG, coal and others, said the project officials.
Construction work of a 350-metre wide, 18-metre deep and 14.30 kilometre long approach channel has been completed.
Government of Bangladesh, CPA and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are financing for the mega project, they said.
CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan earlier said berthing of large vessels will surely reduce the time and cost for import and export activities.
This port will also not be used only for domestic purposes, rather it will be an important one for the global marine economy, he observed.
