Chattogram port is grappling with severe congestion both at its container yards and at the outer anchorage, disrupting the smooth loading and unloading of vessels, officials said.
Currently, around 45,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers are piled up in the port's yards, which have a total capacity of about 53,000 TEUs.
For efficient operations, port officials say at least 20 per cent of the yard space should remain free at all times.
At the same time, nearly a dozen container ships are anchored at the port's outer anchorage, with waiting times ranging from three to six days, according to official port data. Gearless vessels reportedly face even longer delays.
Officials attribute the build-up of containers and the prolonged ship queues to recent strikes by customs officials, vehicle owners, and port workers, among other factors.
Mohammad Omar Faruk, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), told the Financial Express (FE) on Monday that container delivery has slowed down considerably, leading to the accumulation of containers at the yards.
"Delivery becomes very slow during Fridays and Saturdays, causing containers to remain stuck at the port," he said.
Mr Faruk also pointed out that despite repeated requests by the port authority; importers have not expedited container pickup, contributing to congestion.
Regarding the long queue of vessels at the outer anchorage, he said the number of waiting ships is gradually decreasing. "A few days ago, there were 16 ships waiting at the outer bar; now the number has dropped to 11," he noted.
Mr Faruk explained that when container volume at the yards is high, loading and unloading take longer, increasing ships' berth stay times. "If container numbers go down, ships' berth stay will reduce," he added.
Syed Mohammad Arif, chairman of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association (BSAA), said the CPA holds full responsibility for managing container congestion and can implement necessary measures to ease the situation. "The port authority can enforce forced shipment of empty containers to free up yard space," Mr Arif told the FE.
He also emphasised that improved management and faster handling of containers will help reduce ships' berth time and ease queues at the anchorage.
