A small sized container vessel, MV Songa Cheetah, left the Chattogram port for Italy’s Port of Ravenna yesterday afternoon with 952 TEUs of export-laden containers, marking the first round trip in container shipping service between Bangladesh and Europe.

Container vessel MV Songa Cheetah that came directly from the Port of Ravenna in Italy got a berth at Chattogram port immediately after its arrival yesterday.

A direct waterborne service has been introduced between the Chattogram port and an Italian port, paving the way for opening up prospects for faster and cheaper direct container shipping from Bangladesh to Europe.

Bangladesh’s premier seaport in Chattogram handled record number of containers in 2021 and also posted over 13 per cent year-on-year growth in container handling.

Chittagong port handled 31.15 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers so far this year, the highest since it began dealing with containers in 1977, as the economy of Bangladesh is returning to normalcy at a faster clip. 

The Chattogram customs house today seized 3.2 crore pieces of fake tax stamps that were brought in illegally to the port city through a container under the declaration of having papers from China.

Many shipping lines do not want to send their vessels to Chattogram port as they face delays in the unloading of goods due to customs procedures, according to Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).

Although  the Hili land port in Dinajpur’s Hakimpur upazila has a tendency to  exceed its annual revenue target, things may be different this year as  traders are opting for other ports with better facilities, according to  local experts.

In a bid to automate procedures to cut time and business cost, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is set to launch an electronic system from next month to enable importers to receive goods somewhat faster.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is going to introduce online system for issuance of delivery orders by the shipping agents or freight forwarders against import consignments.

Private inland container depots (ICDs) have raised five types of operational charges, amounting to around Tk 145 crore in additional costs if last fiscal year’s trade volumes are taken into account.

Shipbreaking yard owners enforced an indefinite strike this morning after Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate in a drive seized documents from at least four yards in Sitakunda of Chattogram on charge of evading VAT.

With a countrywide strike of goods transporters coming to an end on Monday night, the Chattogram port and 19 private inland container depots (ICDs) are now struggling with the backlog of the preceding four days.

The owners of private inland container depots (ICDs) here today announced to raise different types service charges in handling import and export goods and containers with an increase of 23 per cent due to increase in diesel price.

Bangladesh's trade with India through Benapole land port resumed today after remaining closed for four days for Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bangalee Hindu community.

Nepalese Ambassador to Bangladesh Banshidhar Mishra has stressed the need for taking increased efforts to boost trade with Bangladesh.

Goods transport to and from Chittagong Port came to a halt after a three-day strike was called by Bangladesh Covered-Van Truck Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association and Bangladesh Truck Drivers, Workers Federation.

In a rare development, Chattogram port has been able to allow container ships to berth faster upon arrival over the past 40 days, enabling brisk delivery of imports.

Around 400 trucks carrying imported goods from India are waiting to unload goods at the Burimari land port of Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat due to a space shortage in customs’ warehouses.

Over a month has passed but 15 Bangladeshi importers are yet to know the fate of a vessel, which was transporting around 11,000 tonnes of their steel products and abandoned by its crew for “water ingress and sinking” off the coast of Myanmar.