Eid holidays trigger congestion at Ctg port

The Chittagong Port Authority’s (CPA) instructions for importers and exporters to maintain normal operations during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays were not followed properly, resulting in vessel congestion.

The vessel turnaround time increased as ships had to wait 24-48 hours more at the port while cargo loading and unloading were disrupted as well.

The port authorities issued a letter a week before Eid, instructing importers and exporters as well as other stakeholders to maintain normal operations during holidays. They also announced their own preparations for this.

But the instructions were not properly followed from May 1 to 4, and goods were unloaded on a small scale.

CPA Secretary Mohammad Omar Faruq said importers had not received goods on time despite the instructions.

“All offices were closed during Eid, and the staff were on holiday. That is why the instructions were not followed properly,” he said.

He also said there were more ships at the port than usual but everything would become normal within the next week.

Container ships are unloaded after they are berthed at jetties. But that did not happen for vessels berthing between May 2 and Thursday noon.

Sources said five ships mooring on May 1 were scheduled to depart on Friday (today) though it was supposed to happen between 48 and 72 hours.

Five to six container ships usually berth at the port every day. But only one moored on Eid day and another left.

Moreover, on Eid day, the Water Transport Cell (WTC) did not book any lighterage ships to unload goods from mother vessels at the port’s outer anchorage. Even after Eid, few goods were unloaded.

Despite the end of the holidays, the WTC booked only 12 lighterage ships on Thursday while the average is 50.

There were 93 cargo ships at the port on Thursday, and cargo handling operations were going on at 47, including nine at the jetties. There were 19 container ships and 27 mother vessels waiting at the outer anchorage.

Bangladesh Shipping Agents’ Association President Sayed Mohammad Arif said the Eid vacations had created congestion at the port. “Ships had to wait for up to three to four days before they were berthed and unloaded.”

The port authorities said no container was delivered on Tuesday and Wednesday while only 705 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers were delivered on Thursday. Port sources said there was enough space at the port yards and inland container depots (ICDs) while congestions were not expected.

Some shipping agents claimed terminal and jetty operators were not on duty from Monday afternoon to Wednesday morning. But Faruq claimed operators had been on duty, except for the morning shift on the Eid day.