The vessel, ‘Venus Triumph’ bearing the flag of Panama, arrived at the jetty built for the Matarbari power plant around 10:15 am Tuesday, according to Chittagong Port Authority’s Assistant Harbour Master Captain Md Ataul Hakim Siddiqui.
A second ship is scheduled to reach the port through the channel on Jan 5, he added.
Chattogram port pilots then escorted the ship to a jetty built for the coal-based power plant.
Arriving from Indonesia, the 120-metre long mother vessel with a 5.3-metre draught (submerged part of the ship) is the first cargo ship to cross the 14.5-km long Matarbari channel, said Port Secretary Omar Faruk told bdnews24.com.
The construction of the deep-sea port, initiated by the Shipping Ministry, is expected to be completed by 2026.
It will include a 14.5km long, 250m wide and 18.5m deep-sea channel, according to an official of the state-run Coal Power Generation Company.
The project will be completed at an estimated cost of Tk 177 billion with Japan providing Tk 128 billion, while the government and the Chattogram Port Authority will bear the remaining expenses.
The port authority will jointly implement the project with the government’s Roads and Highways Department.
Source: bdnews24.com
