Delivery pressure gridlocks Ctg port

Chattogram port is still suffering from container congestion although delivery of imported goods gained significant pace in the last three days after the relaxation of curfew and resumption of broadband internet.

Delivery from yards came almost to a halt for countrywide unrest for five days to July 22, when the port was choked with 42,150 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, occupying over 79 percent of its storage capacity of 53,118 TEUs.

The situation started improving from the next day and on July 25 around 5,500 TEUs got delivered, bringing the number of stored containers to below 40,000 TEUs.

Although 3,500 TEUs were released on Friday, the port's struggle for release of containers and cargoes intensified when an increased number of vehicles of importers and prime movers crowded the yard to take delivery of their goods.

Piled-up containers are slowing down goods' discharge from vessels, which is also lingering the ships' stay time, said Nazmul Haque, executive director of Saif Powertec, the berth operator of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), the biggest of the three terminals of Chattogram port.

The containers are usually kept in three to at best four layers in the yards, but the last week's crisis pushed the operators to stake them in five layers in most areas, he said.

The problem arises when one comes to take out a container from the bottom layer, the official said.

The operator has to lift all the four upper containers at first to bring out the lowest one and then place the top four to their earlier spot again, which is completely an unproductive and time-killing work, he said.

The yard's functioning equipment like rubber-tyred gantry cranes and others are also taking extra pressure and many are breaking down, he said.

The release of goods is slow now, as Klarion Designs Ltd could take delivery of some 90 TEUs out of their 120 TEUs, which reached the port last week, said Ataullah Siddique, managing director of the Chattogram-based garment factory.

Moreover, the covered van owners are charging higher fares amid a shortage of goods-carrying vehicles, he said.

Container congestion is causing longer than usual stay time and delayed sailing of the ships, said an importer.

SITCL Qiuming, a vessel, berthed at a jetty of the NCT on July 23 carrying around 1,500 TEUs of import containers, said an official of the berth operating firm.

It took a day and a half for the vessel to get go-ahead from the customs and port to unload goods due to the lack of smooth internet, the official said.

The vessel, which was scheduled to sail out today, needs one more day to complete the unloading and loading of around 1,500 TEUs of export and empty containers, he said.

Another vessel, MV Increase, berthed at another jetty of the NCT on July 22.

Usually, vessel like MV Increase leaves within 48 hours after completing unloading and loading, but this time it took five days and it left today.

Nazmul Haque of Saif Powertec assumes it would take one or two more weeks to get rid of the huge pile of containers.

The port officials are working hard to keep the port running and the situation would improve in a few days if container delivery keeps going at the present pace, said Md Omar Faruk, secretary of the Chittagong Port Authority.