Container pile-up at Chattogram port raises capacity concerns

The Chittagong Port, Bangladesh’s largest seaport, is facing mounting container congestion, with yard space nearing full capacity despite port operations running normally.

Officials said the port has been handling more than 40,000 containers daily for the past 20 days, compared with a normal level of 32,000-35,000. The port’s maximum capacity is 53,500 containers.

As of Wednesday, 47,463 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were in the yards, slightly down from over 49,000 earlier in the week.

Data points to the build-up starting in early August. On Aug 1, there were 39,678 TEUs, which rose to 44,287 TEUs by Aug 4, and continued climbing in the following days.

But port officials said operations have not been affected. The congestion has been partly carried over from earlier disruptions caused by customs staff work stoppages, slowdowns, and long Eid holidays, according to them. They add that fewer deliveries during holidays also contributed to the backlog.

At the end of June, when the National Board Revenue (NBR) officials staged work abstentions, congestion built up but did not reach current levels. On May 25, for instance, 42,315 TEUs were stored, while the day before it was 41,314 TEUs.

Port users said effective steps are needed to reduce the congestion quickly, or else import and export trade could be affected.

Syed Mohammad Arif, president of the Chattogram Shipping Agents Association, said: “There are no NBR strikes or work stoppages like before. Ship congestion has eased and waiting times have reduced. Yet container numbers are still rising. The port needs to take effective measures.”

Chattogram Port Secretary Omar Faruk said that operations are running at full capacity.

“Not a single jetty is lying idle. Import and export volumes are increasing, and so is the container load,” he said.

“There is no ship congestion now. The number of waiting container vessels has dropped to seven or eight, and their turnaround times are shorter."

However, importers and shipping agents have warned that the growing pile-up could disrupt trade.

“Even though there are no NBR strikes and ship waiting times have fallen, the container backlog keeps rising. The port needs to take effective measures,” said Syed Mohammad Arif, president of the Chattogram Shipping Agents Association.

The NBR has recently instructed that containers bound for inland depots must be relocated within two days of arrival to help ease pressure.

Port users say faster clearance by importers will be key to preventing a wider impact on Bangladesh’s imports and exports.