Payra Port Adds 5 Cargo-Handling Machines at First Terminal
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Payra Port has added five modern cargo- and container-handling machines to the fleet of its first terminal in Kalapara, Patuakhali.
Rear Admiral Syed Saiful Islam, chairman of the Payra Port Authority, said the new cranes bring the 650-metre multipurpose berth to full operational capacity while speeding up cargo handling and reducing ship turnaround times.
The equipment arrived around 9 am today aboard the mother vessel Fan Zhou-6, marking the resumption of direct mother-vessel operations at the terminal jetty after nearly two years. Manufactured in China by Nanjing Port and Harbour Machinery Co and Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, the shipment includes two 80-tonne ship-to-shore cranes, two 40-tonne rubber-tyred gantry cranes, and one 80-tonne mobile harbour crane.
Equipment Specifications and Yard Roles
Operations divide between vessel discharge and container yard management. Two ship-to-shore units will lift containers directly off arriving vessels. Rubber-tyred gantry cranes will transfer boxes to haulage trailers and manage yard stacking, according to Azizur Rahman, deputy director of the port’s traffic department.
Bulk cargo and flexible lifting tasks will run through the 80-tonne mobile harbour crane. Port authorities designed this mix to eliminate discharge bottlenecks and reduce vessel laytime across the multipurpose berth.
Chinese Machinery Shipment
The delivery vessel completed a 19-day sea transit from Pingtan Port in China, departing on September 18 before docking directly at the terminal jetty. Captain SM Sharifur Rahman, harbour master at Payra Port, confirmed the 170-metre vessel arrived with an operating draft of approximately six metres.
“Bulk cargo and flexible lifting tasks will run through the 80-tonne mobile harbour crane.”
Direct berthing by a mother vessel of this length bypasses outer-anchorage lightering. That step often adds handling fees and transhipment delays for importers moving project cargo into Bangladesh.
Multipurpose Berth and Vehicle Yard
New crane installations complement landside storage infrastructure built to handle roll-on, roll-off operations and finished consumer goods. Rear Admiral Syed Saiful Islam, chairman of the Payra Port Authority, said a dedicated yard for imported vehicles is ready for service alongside the berth.
Adding vehicle processing capacity allows the southern port to compete for finished automotive imports that traditionally enter Bangladesh through congested terminals at Chattogram and Mongla.
Rabnabad Channel Dredging Targets
Terminal efficiency now depends on maintaining water depth along the Rabnabad Channel. While smaller mother vessels can navigate the six-metre draft, deeper-draft container ships require consistent maintenance dredging to access the jetty without tidal restrictions.
“Maintaining navigability will allow larger mother vessels to berth directly at the jetty,” he said.
Direct calls at the terminal were previously limited to bulk mineral shipments. The port hosted the MV Zain on May 15, 2024, carrying 50,500 tonnes of stone, followed by the MV Da Hong-16 on November 1, 2024, with 48,511 tonnes of stone.
Trial operations for the ship-to-shore cranes are now being scheduled as dredging programmes continue along the approach fairway.