News / Ill wind of Dhaka cargo village blaze blows some good for shippers

Source: Bangladesh fire service and civil defence

Last Saturday’s massive fire at Dhaka Airport’s cargo complex has more than halved the average time it takes cargo owners to receive shipments – and this new expedited service could be in place for up to three months.

The fire at the airport’s cargo village  resulted in injuries to some 25 members of staff tackling the blaze and forced scores of flights to be diverted or suspended at Bangladesh’s main airport, .

But for shippers, the gutting of the cargo complex appears to have had an unintended benefit, the lack of space reducing the time it takes customs officials to release air cargo shipments from 72 to 36 hours.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association SVP Inamul Haq Khan, told The Loadstar: “We are getting cargo delivery faster.

“This has been done so that goods are not stockpiled at the airport, with importers told that they should take delivery of cargoes as soon as they land from the aircraft.”

Around 450 tonnes of imports arrive daily, but with the fire having wiped out warehousing capacity, the sole ground handler, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, has been forced to make use of two 40ft containers for goods that cannot be collected.This represents the same capacity – depending on variables including shape and size – as a single 747 freighter, leaving very little wiggle room when it comes to ensuring shipments aren’t left waiting on the tarmac.

Mosiur Rahman, commissioner of Dhaka Customs House, told The Loadstar: “We are trying our best to provide service delivery, with our office remaining open 24 hours a day.

“In the past, we were not assessing cargo over the course of the evening, but in the wake of the fire, we have cancelled weekly holidays of officials, and we are conducting assessment of the cargo and releasing it round the clock to avoid stockpiles.”

According to Mr Khan, the faster delivery system will be in place until the cargo import complex is rebuilt, with suggestions that this will take around three months, in large part down to the time it is taking to remove the debris.

Mr Khan said garment factory owners – who are responsible for some 75%-80% of all imports into the airport – are taking delivery of 200 consignments a day.

“In the past we dillydallied in taking delivery, taking advantage of the three days of free storage time, but now we take delivery as soon as shipments are available at the delivery area, since cargo is now kept in unprotected areas,” he added.

“We are very careful now. We do not want goods getting lost. Importers are now keeping their documents ready before cargo lands at the airport, so that they can take delivery as soon as possible.”

Up to $1bn of cargo could have been destroyed by the fire, with Exporters Association of Bangladesh president Mohammad Hatem telling The Loadstar that, together with fabrics and garments, a large volume of pharma raw materials were destroyed.