BIWTA will add 11 new dredgers to its present fleet by Sept’ 13

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will add 11 new dredgers to its present fleet by September this year to maintain smooth navigability of river routes.
The BIWTA has completed 6.106 million (61.06 lakh) cubic metres of dredging untill March 10 of the fiscal (FY) 2012-13.
The information was revealed at a meeting on 'different projects of BIWTA, purchase of dredgers under revenue budget and dredging activities' at Shipping Ministry Monday.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan presided over the meeting at his Secretariat office, said a press release.
Now ten 18- inch cutter suction dredgers are available in BIWTA fleet. Among these seven were procured before 1975. The yearly dredging capacity of these 10 dredgers is around 5.0 million cubic metres of earth.
The meeting said another 20 to 22 dredgers are available at private- level having a capacity to dredge 14 million cubic metres of earth.
The meeting also informed that BIWTA conducts two types of dredging.
The shipping authority conducts protection dredging in important river ways, ferry routes and river ports to maintain smooth navigability during the winter season and development dredging to recover navigability of dead and near dead river routes in the country.
The dredging work for protection is implemented from September to March every year and development dredging work goes on round the year as per project target.
Shipping Secretary Syed Monjurul Islam, BIWTA chairman Md Shamsuddoha Khandaker, BIWTA member (engineering) Firoz Ahmed and chief engineer (dredging) Abdul Matin, among others, were present at the meeting.
Source: Financial Express