ICDs to handle containers of imported goods at Ctg port

Saleh Noman. Chattogram

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has approved keeping containers of imported goods at private Inland Container Depots (ICD) to ease congestion at Chattogram port.

Until now, ICDs, custom bonded area outside the port areas, have been handling export items and 35 imported items.

On Sunday, NBR gave conditional permission to ICDs to store, unstuffing and hand over all kinds of imported goods to the importers after completing custom formalities. The Ministry of Shipping on July 18 called on the NBR to approve the storage of all types of imported goods at 19 ICDs, fearing that there would be congestion at the port due to slow pace of unloading.

Now importers can take away their containers from ships to ICDs for customs formalities, said Fakhrul Alam, commissioner of Custom House Chattogram. The decision will be effective until August 31, he added.

A similar decision was taken during the lockdown last year to manage the deadlock at the premier port and it yielded positive results, he said.

A backlog hit the port during lockdown as the delivery of imported goods fell.

Amid the strict lockdown being enforced by the government since July 23, a total of 43,574 Twenty Equivalent Unit (TEU) are on the port yard which has a 49,000 TEU capacity. But only 1,900 TEU containers were cleared.

On a regular day, 3,500-4,000 TEU containers are cleared.

Currently, 22 ships with thousands of containers are waiting for unloading in jetties inside the port channel and on the outer anchorage.

Earlier, Rear Admiral M Shajahan, chairman of Chittagong Port told The Business Post that efforts are being made to provide various facilities to the importers so that they can take delivery of goods even during lockdown, but the response is frustrating.

“In such circumstances, NBR allowed the ICDs to store and handle all types of goods of Chattogram port, which is a good decision and will be effective in tackling the crisis,” he said on Sunday. “I think the congestion problem is going to be solved.”

The 19 ICDs have a total capacity to store 78,700 TEU containers. They currently have over 55,000 TEU containers including 14,000 with export goods which are waiting to be shipped, said Ruhul Amin Biplob, secretary of Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association.

Chattogram Custom House sources said that the NBR order issued on Sunday mentioned that all containers must be scanned before being taken to ICDs from jetties. All commercial goods should be physically inspected by the Custom House and custom intelligence department.

The decision to keep all types of containers in the ICDs will help cut congestion but will raise the cost of transporting the goods, port users said.

Mahabubul Alam, president of Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said that there was no other option to avoid congestion at the port other than using ICDs.

“The cost of transporting products to be delivered from the ICDs will be a bit higher. Moreover, the cost of keeping the products in the ICDs should be kept at a tolerable level,” said Mahabub.

Muntasir Rubayet, Head of Operation GBX Logistics Ltd and Director Bangladesh Shipping Agent Association lauded the NBR’s decision. “It will have subsequent positive effect in minimising berthing delays,” he said.