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The inferno at BM Container Depot at Sitakunda last year burnt 2.43 lakh cartons of goods meant for export worth $19.3 million causing a shock to apparel exporters.
The investigation committee in its report assessed that export goods worth $18.59 million were totally damaged while goods worth $0.7 million were damaged partially in the fire and explosions on June 4 last year.
The committee headed by Md Mushfiqur Rahman, joint commissioner of Custom House, Chattogram, has recently sent the final report to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
The committee comprised representatives from relevant all sectors including Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), BM Container Depot Limited, and Customs Bond Commissionerates in Dhaka and Chattogram.
According to the report, there were 6.84 million cartons of export goods worth $50.71 million against 2,689 shipping bills during the explosion at the depot.
A container containing hydrogen peroxide exploded right in front of warehouse No 1 on the night of the incident. The report said cartons of goods kept in that warehouse were completely ruined.
Cartons of goods kept in warehouse No 2 remained completely unharmed and the exporters also exported from the goods, the report added.
On 17 July, the customs authorities formed a seven-member investigation committee to assess the amount of damage to export goods in the explosion and it took export goods under consideration and did not account for the amount of damage to imported goods and infrastructural damage, said NBR officials.
The committee assessed the damages by going through the documents from the exporters, clearing and forwarding agents, freight forwarders, surveyor’s report, ASYCUDA World data and various registers’ documents maintained at the customs office in BM depot.
Fifty-one people died in the blaze including members of the fire service and around 200 people sustained injuries.
The 26-acre facility allegedly did not have any fire safety plan. It lacked fire-fighting equipment to douse the blaze before it turned into an inferno.
The depot authorities began renovation work after it halted. From August 22, the customs office permitted the depot to store empty containers.
Later, four-and-a-half months after the inferno, the customs authorities granted conditional permission for three months to export garments goods at the facility if they fulfilled conditions.
According to a letter – issued on 24 October – the depot authorities will have to fulfil nine conditions. If the conditions are not complied with, the approval will be scrapped after three months, the customs authorities said in the letter signed by Fyzur Rahman of the Chattogram Customs House.
After fulfilling the conditions, the depot once again began import-export activities in full swing on November 7.
