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The authorities of the Chattogram Port, the country’s prime way of export and import, are now giving priority to container ships rather than bulk cargoes to bring the chaotic situation to an end at the port.
The chaotic situation created by insufficient delivery of goods during the Eid is yet to come to normalcy even after one week of the Eid holiday.
Usually ships and containers were stuck at the port due to lack of other activities including delivery of goods during the Eid holidays.
At least 26 container ships were found at the port on Thursday, 12 container vessels at the jetty inside the port and 14 more waiting at the outer anchorage.
On the day, there were more than 42, 000 TEUS containers at the yard with a capacity of 49,000 TEUS.
Generally, containers are unloaded at 10 jetties inside the port and bulk cargo is unloaded at six jetties. But to handle the situation, containers are now being unloaded at 12 jetties of the port whereas bulk cargo unloading at the jetty has been reduced.
Mohammad Omar Faruq, Secretary of the port authority, said special measures had been taken to reduce the congestion at the port due to lack of work during the Eid holidays so that normalcy could be restored soon. If the delivery of goods is high, the situation will improve quickly, he said, adding, “We urge importers and the persons concerned to take timely delivery of goods.”
At least a quarter of the yard space had to be left vacant to keep the port activities normal but only 12-13 percent of the port yard had been open for the last week. Despite the disruption of normal activities, on Thursday container delivery was 51.00 TEUS, which port sources say is quite normal.
Sources said now container ships have to wait for 3-4 days for berthing at the port and bulk cargoes have to wait for 5-6 days. On Thursday out of 88 ships loaded with imported goods work was going on in 47 ships including 12 container ships.
However, Syed Mohammad Arif, President of the Shipping Agents Association, said all carriers needed to be given equal importance, noting that bulk cargo could be hit hard if priority was given to container shipping schedules.
Seventy-five percent of the cargo transported through the port of Chittagong is bulk cargo, most of which is unloaded from mother vessels by lighterage vessels and only 25 percent are carried in containers but more than 90 percent exports are carried by containers.
Impact of instability at Sri Lankan ports on exports
Due to ongoing political instability in Sri Lanka unrest at the transshipment port in Colombo has multiplied the chaotic situation created at the port of Chittagong during the Eid holidays.
Traders and port officials say all this will complicate the situation, creating a major barrier to import and export of goods at the right time.
With the unrest at the transshipment port of Colombo, Sri Lanka is creating more complicated situation for Bangladeshi exporters.
Sources said due to non-functional Colombo port last Monday and Tuesday, there was a 3 to 4-day pandemonium.
However, those concerned are hoping that the situation will improve as works started there on Wednesday. About 40 percent of the container goods exported through Chittagong port is used at Colombo as transshipment port.
