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CHATTOGRAM: Construction of the first private dry dock of the country being built by Karnafuly Dry Dock Limited (KDDL) at Anwara upazila in Chattogram is likely to be completed by 2024.
The construction of the dock started in July last year.
KDDL dry dock with a capacity of 10,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) and a container port under the Karnafuly Dry Dock Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is likely to start its operations after the completion of its construction.
KDDL is constructing the Dry Dock SEZ on around 45 acres of land at Anwara upazila in Chattogram at a cost of Tk 22 billion for building and repairing large ships and increasing container handling capacity of the Chittagong port.
Out of around 45 acres of land, Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) has already allotted 20.98 acres and the rest is KDDL's own land.
Managing Director of KDDL MA Rashid said that in Bangladesh, there is now only one dry dock of Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) with the capacity of 20,000 DWT and that is run by the Bangladesh Navy.
KDDL has been designed for vessels up to 253 metres in length. The dock floor has been designed to allow 'of-centre-line' docking of smaller vessels. The number of such vessels depends on the length and width of the vessels.
KDDL has taken the initiative to build four jetties so that ships do not have to stay afloat day after day for docking. Two jetties have already come under operation.
Around 3,000 ships operate through Chittagong sea port a year along with 30 ships of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) and private owners. Besides, there are many ships of Bangladeshi owners, registered in other countries.
It is mandatory to repair these ships after every two to three years. But there are capacity constraints of Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL). So, the owners of small ships were bound to repair their ships outside the country.
Once the operation of KDDL starts, the small ships can be repaired there. This will save huge foreign currencies for the country.
Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL), the lone state-owned dry dock of the country situated in Chattogram, has been repairing ships in Bangladesh since 2015.