Untimely loading and unloading of containers has congested Chattogram port, the country's premier seaport, with container vessels, which remain anchored due to the disruption.

Untimely loading and unloading of containers has congested Chattogram port, the country's premier seaport, with container vessels, which remain anchored due to the disruption.

As of Thursday afternoon, as many as 19 container vessels had been waiting at the outer anchorage for getting berthed, according to data from the port authority's traffic department. Usually, five to six vessels wait to get berthed on a normal day.

Port users said loading and unloading of import and export containers were initially disrupted on the night of Shab-e-Qadr, when jetty workers, who are appointed by private berth operators, stopped working during the night shift.

That disruption led to vessels overstaying at the jetties, and the situation exacerbated during Eid holidays.

Earlier, Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) announced that loading and unloading activities at jetties would remain suspended for only eight hours, from 8:00am to 4:00pm, on Eid day.

But jetty workers reportedly suspended activities at container jetties around 4:00pm on Monday, the day before Eid, and resumed work after 9:00am on Wednesday, a day after Eid.

Due to the suspension, the vessels that got berthed on Sunday overstayed for two days at the jetties.

For example, Panama-flagged container vessel OEL Shasta berthed at GCB jetty-9 on Sunday with 928 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of import containers.

As jetty operations remained suspended, all import containers could be discharged by 10:00pm on Wednesday, after jetty activities resumed, said Mohammad Zakirul Islam, deputy manager of M/s Karnaphuli Limited, the ship's local agent firm.

Later, export containers were loaded on the vessel, which left the port yesterday. If there was no disruption, it could have left on Wednesday, Zakirul said.

Another vessel -- SOL Promise, carrying 915 TEUs of import containers -- berthed at NCT jetty-3 on Sunday. Although all import containers were unloaded by noon on Monday, loading of export containers got delayed.

Muntasir Rubayat, head of operations at GBX Logistics, the ship's local agent, said following resumption of activities on Wednesday, they started loading export containers and completed doing so by Thursday night.

The vessel left yesterday as well.

This usually happens during Eid holidays every year, said Rubayat.

Due to the delays, the number of container vessels waiting to get berthed is increasing.

Meanwhile, port users fear that when these vessels berth in the coming days, containers will pile up at port yards, as delivery of the imported goods to their destination, like factories and other establishments, remains poor due to the holidays.

Only 705 TEUs of import containers were moved from the port in 24 hours till 8:00am on Thursday. On a normal working day, 3,500 to 4,000 TEUs of import containers are delivered to their destination.

They are assuming that it would take a few more days to return to the normal rate of deliveries, as most factories still remain closed.

CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk, however, said although the number of waiting vessels have increased due to poor activity during Eid holidays, there is nothing to fear about.

He hoped that the situation would return to normalcy in the next six to seven days.

Brushing aside fears of congestion, the secretary said the port still has enough space in its yards.