For smooth functioning of such sophisticated cranes, the operation and back up services like rubber tyre gantry cranes should be unified and handled by a single authority, sources said.

But in CCT the operation of the sophisticated cranes has been handed over to a private company while most of the back up services remained at the hand of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA).

As a result, the gantry cranes operate only 4-5 hours a day and remain idle rest of the time as the port operators do not supply sufficient number of trailers and straddle carriers as back up services, said the sources.

Besides, the port operators are making delay to carry export containers and it forces the ships to stay longer at the yard.

"If the four gantry cranes operate full time, the CCT alone can handle all the container ships anchored at the Chittagong Port, said a high official of the CPA requesting anonymity.

Due to inefficiency of the CCT, the container ships are also being handled at general yards and New Mooring container terminals of the port, he said.

The private operators have been facing non-cooperation from the port workers since the operation of the crane by the private company resumed on December 15, sources said, adding that the port operators do not place the trailer under the spreader in a proper way for loading and unloading the containers quickly. The operators are also not keeping the containers at proper places causing space problems in the RTG yard, the source said.

Private company Saif Powertec Limited in a letter to the Chittagong Port Authority alleged that the port operators are not providing sufficient trailers and straddle carriers for smooth movement and shifting of containers.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the port authority discussed the matter and decided to give a warning to the port operators about their alleged non-cooperation.

The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a letter to the CPA also urged it to accelerate the back up services for full utilisation of the gantry cranes. Managing Director of Saif Powertec Tarafder Ruhul Amin, however, claimed that his operators are handling 25-30 containers per operation hour despite non-cooperation from the CPA operators.

The government installed the sophisticated cranes spending over Tk 150 crore in January this year and at first tried to operate those by the port operators. As the speed of the crane operation by port operators was very slow, the government appointed private company Saif Powertec Limited for its operation in June this year.

The private company appointed trained foreign personnel and increased the handling of containers to 25-30 per hour from 10-12 by the port operators. The private company, however, charged Tk 470 for handling each container.

The port workers who had been relieved from the job started non-cooperating with the private company. With the beginning of countrywide political agitation programme in October those port operators created barrier in private operation.

They kept the CCT besieged for over two weeks demanding cancellation of the agreement with the private company. Later, the port operators backed by Chittagong city Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury took the charge of the gantry cranes and started operation by themselves.

But the private company filed a writ petition with the High Court and obtained a rule nisi in favour of them. Following the High Court verdict, the private company resumed their operation on December 15.