Privately owned BM Container Depot has partially resumed operations on gaining permission to temporarily handle empty containers after around two and half months of suffering a deadly explosion.  

A total of 51 people were killed and over 200 injured in the fire and explosion on June 4. After repeated appeals from the depot authority, Custom House, Chattogram on August 22 gave the permission on two conditions.

Confirming it, General Manager Nazmul Akhtar Khan told The Daily Star that one condition was over submitting some documents and they had started operations accordingly.

On receiving the permission, the depot till yesterday transported 903 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of empty containers to the Chattogram port while 470 TEUs of empty containers entered the depot from the Chattogram port and some factories.

According to the custom house, the depot authority will have to submit clearance certificates from the Department of Environment (DoE) and the Department of Explosives, and Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence within 15 days of receiving the permission.

It was also directed to sign a memorandum of understanding with a nearby fire station within the same period.

Customs officials said if the depot authority fails to submit these documents, the temporary permission would be withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the depot authority yesterday applied to the Custom House, Chattogram commissioner for handling export and import containers.

In the application, Managing Director Mostafizur Rahman stated that the depot was compliant with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code alongside security systems stated by International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Custom House, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Md Noor Uddin Milon confirmed of them providing the conditional temporary permission.

He said before giving approval to full-fledged operations, they would examine whether the depot implemented all recommendations of different probe committees formed in connection with the deadly explosion.

Since early July, the depot had catered services to individual exporters and importers involving some select export and import-laden containers availing customs permission.

Mohammad Ibrahim, operation manager, said they offered services for the shipment of some export containers loaded before the accident as the respective exporters had availed permission from the Chattogram customs authority.

And some import-laden cargoes were also delivered as per the individual permissions, he said.

A total of 30 TEUs of such export containers were sent to the port for shipment this month alone while some 22 TEUs of import cargoes got delivered, said the operation manager.

The depot currently has 253 TEUs of export containers, 2 TEUs of import containers and 801 TEUs of empty containers.