Chattogram · Mongla · Payra · Matarbari 24/7 operations +880 1707 994411 · info@averonmaritime.com
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Lighter programmePlanned before the mother vessel arrives
Ghat to godownBarges to silos, ghats and plant jetties
Every tonne countedLighter tallies reconciled with draft surveys

From the mother vessel to the ghat

At Bangladesh's ports, the ocean leg often ends at an anchorage, not a berth. Draft limits on the Karnaphuli, Pashur and Rabnabad channels mean large bulk carriers and tankers discharge into lighter vessels offshore. Barges then carry the cargo up the rivers to silos, ghats, godowns and power-plant jetties. Lighterage is where time and tonnes are most easily lost, so we plan it before the vessel arrives.

50–60k ttypical bulk carriers lightened at Chattogram outer anchoragegrain, scrap, clinker, stone
Kutubdiawhere deep-draft vessels first reduce draftbefore Chattogram outer anchorage
3 portswith routine anchorage lighteringChattogram, Mongla (Harbaria), Payra
11 dayspast lighterage time for a 100,000 DWT crude tankerwithout the SPM

What we handle

Lighter programme

Number, size and rotation of lighter vessels matched to the discharge rate, hatches and laytime.

Lighter allocation

Coordination of lighter allocation at Chattogram (through the WTC system) and with private lighter operators.

Ship-to-ship mooring

Fenders, mooring gangs and launches for safe alongside operations at the anchorage.

Tallies and drafts

Draft readings and tallies on every lighter, reconciled daily with the mother vessel's figures.

Barge transport

Barge and bulkhead movements to silos, ghats and godowns along the rivers.

Bagging at ghats

Bagging of bulk fertilizer or grain into 50 kg bags where the contract requires.

Tanker lightering

Coordination of lighter tankers between the outer anchorage and oil berths for petroleum cargo.

Plant jetty deliveries

Lighters to power-plant and factory jetties for coal and industrial cargo.

How a lighterage operation runs

  1. 01

    Pre-arrival plan

    Cargo, draft and laytime reviewed; lighter numbers and sizes fixed; anchorage position and STS gear arranged.

  2. 02

    Draft reduction

    Where needed, the vessel reduces draft first (for example at Kutubdia) before moving to the outer anchorage.

  3. 03

    Alongside discharge

    Lighters work in rotation at all hatches; stoppages for weather and swell logged in the SOF.

  4. 04

    River voyage

    Each lighter carries its draft and tally record to the receiving ghat, silo or jetty.

  5. 05

    Receipt and reconciliation

    Lighter receipts reconciled with draft surveys and the vessel's figures before final documents.

Risks we manage

Risk pointWhat we do about it
Lighter shortageLighters booked against the arrival window, with back-up operators lined up for peak season.
Weather and swellWeather watch at the open anchorage; operations paused and restarted safely, with time recorded.
Unfit craftOnly vessels certified for the outer anchorage route. Unfit bulkheads at sea endanger cargo and the port channel.
Quantity loss in transitDraft and tally on every lighter, sealing where needed, and reconciliation at the receiving end.
Idle hatchesLighter rotation matched to the discharge rate so the mother vessel is never waiting for craft.
The ocean freight ends at the anchorage. Our job is to make sure the cargo reaches the ghat on time and in full.
Sources for the figures on this page

Vessel coming to Bangladesh?

Send us the nomination. Our agency desk replies with a proforma DA and port notes.

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