Over 400 Bangladeshis visit China-constructed dredging project

DHAKA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Over 400 Bangladeshis have visited the Inner Bar Dredging of Mongla Port Channel project implemented by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) in southwestern Khulna district.

The participants, including Bangladeshi Mongla Port Authority officials, and students and teachers from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, learned about the operation of the dredging project, which aims to ensure smooth waterway access for commercial vessels.

The Inner Bar Dredging of Mongla Port Channel project was undertaken by CCECC following the company's completion of the Outer Bar Dredging Project in the South Asian country in 2020. The project plans to dredge a 23.4-km navigation channel, with a total dredging volume exceeding 21.6 million cubic meters.

Upon completion, sea vessels with a draft of 10 meters can directly berth at Mongla Port, which will increase port throughput and make Mongla Port the new international gateway of Bangladesh.

"It's a good opportunity to come here and see the project," Muhammad Abdullah, a student from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, told Xinhua.

The Chinese company are doing all the things with their technical capabilities," Abdullah said.

"They are doing a great job. They successfully completed four maintenance operations," said AKM Anisur Rahman, a member of Mongla Port Authority.

"In the process of dredging, we found that the sedimentation of the river is very serious," Guo Zhipei, project manager of CCECC, said.

He said that in order to solve this problem, the company has jointly carried out scientific research with Khulna University of Engineering and Technology and Mongla Port since 2019.