Even as the overall container occupancy at the Chittagong Port is still at a comfortable level, port officials and users, reportedly, apprehend a possible container congestion in the coming days as importers are not taking deliveries on time amidst the countrywide 7-day lockdown in Bangladesh, which started from 14 April, and now is said to have been extended by another week.
According to media reports, as of 19 April morning, there were 35,138 twenty feet equivalent units (TEUs) of all types of containers lying at the port yards, which was around 72 per cent of the port’s total capacity (of storing 49,018 TEUs) while concerns remain over the situation at the yards dedicated for storing import laden containers where a total of 33,244 TEUs of containers were lying at these dedicated yards covering around 93 per cent of the capacity of 35,868 TEUs even as port authority, with an aim to expedite the process of taking delivery of import consignments, has got in touch with various trade bodies asking them to take steps for taking delivery of goods all through the week.
It may be mentioned here that if the deliveries do not gain pace in the coming days, Chittagong Port which handles bulk of Bangladesh’s import and export including shipments of apparel items, might have to face container congestion more so as now the lockdown has been extended by another 7 days, which might have an adverse impact on exports and imports.
