News / 'Move boxes to private yards' plea as Chittagong congestion worsens

Bangladesh customs authorities have allowed logistics operators to shift a further six types of goods in containers to private off-docks in a bid to reduce the number of containers in Chittagong’s yards.

The authority have also asked importers to redirect Dhaka Rail Inland Container Depot-bound containers to a private box terminal near the capital by waterways.

The measures are a bid to reduce the number of containers in Chittagong port yard, which has surpassed its capacity and is effectively overflowing – as of today, some 49,974 teu against capacity of 49,018 teu.

New items which can go through the off-docks are: seeds, fibre, block listed products of drug manufacturers, imported thread, insecticide, fungicides and herbicides and tyre cords. According to officials, the newly allowed items may account for 9%, or some 5,000 teu of containers, at the port’s yards.

Some 18 off-dock sites near Chittagong currently have capacity to accommodate some 15,000 teu of import containers.

Secretary of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) Ruhul Amin Sikder told The Loadstar the flow of export containers was very slow, due to factory shutdowns.

“We can handle more import containers,” he added.

Additionally, if the Dhaka Rail depot-bound containers were shifted to a terminal owned by Summit Alliance Port, in Munshiganj district, 2,000 teu of containers could be removed from the port.

Garment manufacturers alone have some 14,000 teu of imports at the yard, which has now become a big burden for the port authority.

Manufacturers’ factories and warehouses have remained closed and in combination with a shortage of truck drivers many are failing to take delivery of containers. One manufacturer said the congestion would not lessen until the shutdown ended.

Meanwhile, port officials said the excessive number of containers had virtually ended normal operations in the port’s yard. Containers are being unloaded from vessels only after space is freed at the yard after an importer collected a box.

As a result, vessels’ average turnaround period is now more than 15 days, and berth stay has reached over seven days. Yesterday, some 36 containerships were waiting at the outer anchorage, while seven were loading and unloading at the main jetties.