Without proper oversight, even foreign operators fail to deliver.
Although the National Board of Revenue (NBR) resumed regular operations yesterday after nearly two weeks of protests and work abstentions, ship and container congestion has once again gripped the Chattogram Port, triggering concern among businesses over potential delays in cargo handling and increased logistics costs.
The three-day blockade was called over the handover of the NCT to a foreign operator
Picture a crowded harbour where the salty seabreeze carries whispers of far-off lands, where merchants of all creed and caste haggle over silks and spices, and where towering ships of all varieties – Chinese junks, Arab dhows, and Portuguese carracks – sway gently in the waters of the Bay of Bengal.
About 2 lakh tonnes of imported goods left abandoned at Chattogram port alone for years
Container movement between the port and 21 private ICDs remains suspended since morning
The government is considering appointing some of the world’s most experienced port operators to manage Chattogram Port and other sea and land ports in the region, said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday.
Local operator Saif Powertec Ltd is currently operating the port's New Mooring Container Terminal
Once approved, a loan deal with the World Bank will be signed
The Bay Terminal, the biggest expansion project in the Chattogram port’s history, made major progress as the World Bank’s board of executive directors approved a $650 million loan on Friday to finance the dredging of the access channel and construction of the breakwater.
The World Bank approved $650 million on Friday to help Bangladesh construct the breakwater of Bay Terminal, a mega expansion project of Chattogram port.
Slow container delivery from the port created the problem
Until June 15, some 15,553 TEUs of export containers were lying at the 21 ICDs, much higher from 8,000 on any regular day
Chattogram Port Authority has issued Alert No 4 this morning suspending all operations in the port as Cyclone Remal heads towards the coast
However, workers resumed operations today early morning
If you get a chance to take a stroll inside the present-day terminal of Chattogram Port, a world of mechanical marvels awaits.
The Chattogram port has experienced a 2.92 percent year-on-year drop in the number of containers handled in the just concluded year
Fesco introduced a container service in Bangladesh as a part of its push to facilitate direct shipping from the Indian subcontinent to Russia.
A vessel bound for Singapore yesterday delayed its departure from Chattogram port as a good number of its export containers failed to reach on time amid a nationwide blockade that began on Tuesday.
