Backlog at Ctg port begins to ease after strikes, polls closure

Chattogram port is gradually recovering from a severe backlog caused by a seven-day employee strike earlier this month and a 48-hour closure during the national election, thanks to increased daily container deliveries.

“As operations resumed at the port and ICDs after the election, daily deliveries have increased significantly,” said Muntasir Rubayat, former director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association.

According to port data, nearly 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of import containers have been delivered daily in recent days, with port yards handling high volumes of deliveries and transfers to inland container depots (ICDs).

Partial strikes over the lease of the New Mooring Container Terminal to UAE-based operator DP World, which began on January 31, had already caused congestion at the port and ICDs, delaying import and export shipments. Operations came to a complete halt on February 3 due to an indefinite strike.

Although the strike ended on the morning of February 9, relief was limited by the port’s closure on February 11 and 12 for the national election.

ICD operators said the backlog at the depots was cleared, with export container stock dropping to 6,800 TEUs yesterday, a normal level

The strike had led to an accumulation of over 9,000 TEUs inside the port, with storage rising from 31,000 TEUs on January 31 to 40,000 TEUs by February 10.

Export container stockpiles at the 19 private ICDs reached nearly 14,000 TEUs during the same period. At one point, 15 container vessels were waiting at the outer anchorage for berths, with many forced to wait for more than six days.

SIGNS OF RELIEF

Port users said that import and export deliveries picked up in the two days after the strike, before the election-related closure began. Even on election day, the port authority managed some shipments through special arrangements.

Daily deliveries and transfers of import containers from the port stood at 3,888 TEUs between 8:00am on February 14 and 8:00am on February 15. The figure rose to 4,484 TEUs and 4,854 TEUs over the next two days, before reaching 5,263 TEUs in the 24 hours ending yesterday morning, according to port data.

Shipping officials expressed hope that the backlog would be cleared soon if this pace continues.

A senior official at a foreign shipping line said that the low volume of import cargo pressure kept the situation manageable, with only two or three vessels arriving daily.

ICD operators said the backlog at the depots was cleared, with export container stock dropping to 6,800 TEUs yesterday, a normal level.

The number of container vessels waiting at the outer anchorage for berths fell to 12 yesterday, while waiting times declined to two to three days.

Ship-handling operators confirmed that congestion of bulk vessels at the outer anchorage fell to 80 from 110.

However, container congestion at the Chattogram Goods Port Yard, which stores imports bound for Kamalapur ICD, remains severe. Authorities are struggling to move enough containers because Bangladesh Railway has not provided the required locomotives.

As of yesterday morning, a total of 42,375 TEUs were still waiting in port yards.

Syed Refayet Hamim, secretary of Chittagong Port Authority, urged stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, to pick up imports promptly to help clear the backlog quickly.

He added that the authority has also sent a letter to Bangladesh Railway requesting an increase in the number of trains to help ease congestion at the Goods Port Yard.