The export of chemical and combustible products from Bangladesh has been halted once again as the only depot designated by the Chattogram customs authority to handle dangerous goods has failed to maintain the minimum safety standards.

Following a major fire at the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda last June, Chittagong Container Transportation Company Limited (CCTCL) was given the sole responsibility for handling dangerous cargo at its depot inside the Chattogram port area.

However, the depot is yet to meet the minimum requirements for ensuring safe transport of dangerous cargo, said Nurul Basir, deputy commissioner of the Chattogram Custom House.

As a result, such goods have not been allowed to enter since last Wednesday while the products that are already available will be shipped by Monday, according to depot and customs officials.

Following a major fire at the BM Container Depot in Sitakunda last June, Chittagong Container Transportation Company Limited (CCTCL) was given the sole responsibility for handling dangerous cargo at its depot inside Chattogram port

In a report to the customs commissioner on February 12, Basir said the CCTCL has not complied with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Act, Dangerous Cargo Act-1953 or Bangladesh's Inland Container Depot (ICD) Policy.

As per the laws provided by these three guidelines, chemical and combustible products such as hydrogen peroxide, caustic soda and liquid chlorine must be handled with specific equipment and kept in separate sheds.

But after the accident at the BM Container Depot on June 4, when 51 people were killed and more than 200 were injured, it came to light that all 16 private ICDs in the country were flouting the rules.

Likewise, the CCTCL depot kept dangerous cargo among normal import-export items and did not even secure a license from the fire service for handling such products, the report said.

In addition, there were no resources available to extinguish a fire should one occur while all types of good were being transported by workers instead of the required equipment.

There are many residential buildings and sensitive government establishments, including the port jetty, a hospital and school and college, adjacent to the CCTCL depot.

"So, it is dangerous to handle chemical and combustible products without the proper safety measures in place," Basir said.

Samuda Chemical, a subsidiary of Chattogram's TK Group, is one of the country's biggest exporters of hydrogen peroxide.

Bikash Kanti Das, head of business at Samuda Chemical, told The Daily Star that about 6,000 tonnes of the chemical is exported from Bangladesh each month.

"Our factory was forced to shut down for a long time after the BM depot incident, but we eventually resumed production when the CCTCL was authorised to handle dangerous goods," he said.

However, no chemical products have been allowed to enter the depot since Wednesday. So, we will contact port officials on Sunday [today] to ask about what happens next," Das added.

He went on to say that production at their factory has already stopped again after it was announced that operations at the CCTCL depot have been halted.

"We made a commitment to many buyers to deliver their products on time," he said, adding that they now fear competing countries might take over the market if exports are discontinued for long.

Port and customs officials say shipments of chemical and combustible goods were halted for almost two months after the BM depot incident as shipping companies and foreign buyers had become wary about taking such products from Bangladesh given the poor safety conditions.

The CCTCL was then given the responsibility for handling dangerous goods upon request from various businesspeople.

At the time, authorities had verbally informed the CCTCL to build a security shed and maintain other safety measures as per the law.

Md Abu Bakar Siddique, managing director of the CCTCL, said they came forward to handle such products at a time when no other depot had shown interest.

"All government agencies had allowed the handling of dangerous products at our depot but now, they have asked us to stop. So, we have stopped as per the customs direction," he added.

Asked why they failed to meet the safety standards, Siddique said no depot could fulfil the requirements set by the IMDG and Dangerous Cargo Act.

"Still, we are trying to meet the requirements but are being delayed by some family issues as I myself am ill. However, we hope to resume operations soon," he added.

Alak Kumar Hazra, a deputy commissioner of Chattogram customs, said a six-member investigation committee has been formed to verify the report on the CCTCL depot.

"The required action will be taken after receiving the investigation report," Hazra added.

About $364 million worth of chemical products were exported from Bangladesh in fiscal 2021-22.

Shipments have since declined as $181 million worth of chemical products were sent abroad in the July-January period of the ongoing fiscal, down by some 19 per cent compared to $224 million during the same time last year.