Five new cargo- and container-handling cranes have been commissioned at the first terminal of Payra Port in Kalapara, Patuakhali, Bangladesh, with the arrival of a mother vessel marking the resumption of direct vessel operations after nearly two years.
The 170-metre-long Fan Zhou-6 berthed directly at the terminal jetty at around 9am after sailing from China’s Pingtan Port on September 18. The vessel also carried the newly deployed cargo-handling equipment.
The new machinery comprises two 80-tonne ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, two 40-tonne rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes and one 80-tonne mobile harbour crane (MHC).
The STS cranes are designed to load and unload containers between vessels and the jetty, while the RTG cranes will handle container movement and stacking within the yard. The MHC will be used for handling bulk cargo as well as containers.
The equipment was manufactured by Nanjing Port and Harbour Machinery Co (NPHMC) and Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) of China.
Azizur Rahman, deputy director of Payra Port’s traffic department, said the STS cranes would handle containers on mother vessels, while the RTG cranes would move containers to trailers and manage yard storage. The MHC would be used to unload bulk cargo and containers.
Captain SM Sharifur Rahman, harbour master of Payra Port, said Fan Zhou-6 has a draft of about six metres, allowing it to berth directly at the terminal. He said larger mother vessels with deeper drafts could also operate directly at the jetty if navigability along the Rabnabad Channel improves through dredging.
Rear Admiral Syed Saiful Islam, chairman of Payra Port Authority, said the new equipment would bring the port closer to full operational capacity.
He said a dedicated yard for imported vehicles was also ready and that the new cranes had brought the 650-metre multipurpose berth to full operational capacity.
The port authority has also stressed the need to maintain the navigability of the Rabnabad Channel to facilitate direct berthing of larger mother vessels.
Payra Port had previously received two mother vessels at the terminal. MV Zain docked on May 15, 2024, carrying 50,500 tonnes of stone, while MV Da Hong-16 arrived during October-November 2024 with 48,511 tonnes of stone.
