The Chattogram port handled a record number of containers and cargoes this year thanks to an increase in foreign trade.

As of December 29, the port handled 32.58 lakh TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, which is 6.8 percent higher than last year's 30.51 lakh TEUs and even higher than 2021's record of 32.15 lakh TEUs.

Out of the 32.58 lakh TEUs, around 17.62 lakh TEUs were import containers and 14.97 lakh export.

The port officials believe the port will be able to handle around 15,000 TEUs more in the last two days of 2024.

Container handling by the port slowed in 2022 and 2023 when the country experienced a slowdown in foreign trade, caused by global crises such as the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East, as well as domestic challenges like US dollar scarcity and rising inflation.

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) prepared the container handling data by tallying the number of import, export and empty containers that were loaded and unloaded at the port's main jetties, the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj and Kamalapur Inland Container Depot in Dhaka.

A significant number of empty containers -- over 7 lakh TEUs -- were also included in the total.

Every month, some 60,000 TEUs of empty containers on an average – generated after taking out the import cargo – are returned to the transhipment ports.

Meanwhile, the port handled a total of 12.31 crore tonnes of overall cargo, including the containerised ones, this year until December 29, toppling last year's record of 12.02 crore tonnes.

The increase in container and cargo handling demonstrates the enhanced capacity and efficiency of the port, said CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk.

He expressed hope that such growth in annual container throughput would contribute to the port securing a higher ranking among the world's 100 busiest container ports.

Faruk highlighted that the phased addition of various new types of equipment to the port's fleet played a significant role in enhancing its capacity.

The rise in container and cargo handling also indicates that the country's foreign trade is expanding and gradually recovering from recent economic challenges.

The acute container congestion, which hit the port during the political unrest in the July-August period, eased gradually with coordinated efforts of the port's officials and users, said Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association Chairman Syed Md Arif.