Ctg port facing container congestion as transport slows

The Chattogram port has been hit by container congestion again as daily deliveries have slowed in the amid of flash floods, which caused disruptions along the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway since Thursday.

Transport service providers said activities had resumed partially on Sunday. Still, they added that damaged roads had been hindering normal operations along the highway connecting the capital to the Chattogram port, which handles around 90 percent of the nation's trade.

According to port officials, there are usually 30,000 to 32,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers in the port yards.

However, the number stood at 37,996 TEUs on Monday, up from 36,642 TEUs on Friday.

Transport service providers said activities had resumed partially on Sunday, but damaged roads had been hindering normal operations along the highway connecting the capital to the Chattogram port

Another 3,674 TEUs are waiting to be unloaded from 16 container ships at the port jetties, according to port data.

At the same time, the shipment of export-oriented goods has also slowed.

About 4,241 TEUs of export containers were shipped yesterday, down from 5,231 TEUs on Friday.

Khairul Alam Suzan, vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA), told The Daily Star: "Transportation along the highway slightly increased since Monday morning. More export-oriented vehicles are entering private depots than in the last few days.

"It will take a few days to normalise. The highway needs to be repaired quickly to normalise the situation. Many parts of the highway have been severely damaged due to the floods," he said.

Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Md Omar Faruk said the situation had not deteriorated too much, adding that deliveries would return to normal within two or three days.

"We have faced various problems for the last one and a half months due to the students-led protests and a nearly week-long internet blackout. The situation was brought back to normal by keeping all kinds of activities open on weekends and holidays. Port activities were even conducted manually in the absence of the internet," he said.

"Implementing these initiatives helped reduce container congestion but it has returned due to the recent floods. However, some steps have been taken to keep export-import activities running smoothly," he added.

He added that the situation would improve once the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway becomes fully operational.

Mahbubul Alam, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), echoed the same: "The container congestion has arisen again as floods inundated multiple areas of the highway. But the situation in those areas is improving now. We hope the highway will run smoothly within a short time.

"More than 80 percent of the country's import and export goods are transported through the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway. Port activities will not return to normal until this road is fully opened," he said.