Six out of the 21 private inland container depots (ICDs) have come up as the major handlers of export and import-laden containers in the just concluded year of 2024, when business in the ICDs rose 16 percent year-on-year.

Like previous years, an intense competition was seen among the private ICDs seeking to handle the highest amount of import and export cargo, which helped ease congestion at the Chattogram port by facilitating the quick clearance of shipments.

KDS Logistics Limited managed to retain its top position among these ICDs in handling export and import-laden containers in 2024.

This is the seventh consecutive year that the KDS clinched the top spot.

There are 21 privately owned ICDs located in and around the port city. Two out of these 21 currently handle empty containers and are yet to start handling export and import-laden containers.

The remaining 19 ICDs have been facilitating quick clearance of both export and import-laden containers as well as the handling of empty containers.

Almost 90 percent of the export-laden containers are handled by these ICDs before their shipments through the Chattogram port.

Exporters from different parts of the country send their cargo on trucks and covered vans to these ICDs, where these cargoes are filled into containers, checked by customs and sent to the port.

The ICDs handle 23 percent of the total imports as they are allowed to process 38 types of imports. The containers bearing these goods are sent to the ICDs after being unloaded at the port for delivery to the consignees.

A total of 1,019,058 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import and export-laden containers were handled in the 19 ICDs in 2024.

This is a rise of around 16 percent from the 877,689 TEUs handled in 2022.

These ICDs handled 7.50 lakh TEUs of export-laden containers, a 13.5 percent increase from that in 2023.

In case of import-laden containers, they handled 2.68 lakh TEUs, a 24 percent increase year-on-year.

Such a volume increase indicates the enhanced capacities of the private ICDs, said Mohammad Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (Bicda).

"The ICDs are capable of handling more export and import volumes," he said.

"A considerable portion of their capacity is being utilised for handling a huge volume of empty containers generated from the delivery of containerised imported goods from the port," he added.

The 21 ICDs handled 6.24 lakh TEUs of empty containers in 2024.

Sikder stressed on letting the ICDs handle more import-laden containers for the delivery of goods to consignees.

He opined that the direct delivery of containerised imports from the port yards was the root cause behind all operational hurdles at the port, which has been chipping away at the productivity of both the port and ICDs.

Six leading ICDs jointly handled 613,944 TEUs, around 60 percent of the total volume handled by all the ICDs together.

Among them, KDS Logistics was on top by handling 162,222 TEUs of export and import-laden containers, which is nearly 16 percent of the total volume.

It is followed by five others -- Portlink Logistics Centre Limited, two units of Summit Alliance Port Limited (East and West), Incontrade Limited and Ispahani Summit Alliance Terminals Limited (ISATL).

The ISATL came up in the top six last year, toppling Esack Brothers Industries by handling a mammoth 37 percent more exports and imports than the previous year.

The remaining five top ICDs also saw a noticeable increase in business in 2024.

Handling of export and import containers increased by 12 percent in the KDS, nearly 12 percent in the Portlink, around 15 percent in the SAPL (East and West) and nearly 18 percent in Incontrade.

The KDS also clinched the top position in handling export-laden containers by managing 1.19 lakh TEUs while the Portlink became the top imports handler by managing 66,000 TEUs.

KDS Logistics Executive Director Md Ahsanul Kabir said they always focused on developing efficiency by adding modern equipment and ensuring good management to provide quality service to clients.