The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is facing operational challenges due to a significant increase in containers and cargo, prompting an urgent appeal to companies to retrieve their imports on time, even during holidays, to maintain a smooth supply chain and stable prices, especially during Eid-ul-Fitr, Bangladeshi media reports.
In a letter to the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Customs Agents Association, the CPA highlighted the current problem of some 26,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of full containers and a large volume of unpacked cargo occupying port yards and cargo freight station (CFS) sheds, causing considerable disruption to port operations.
To address this, the CPA emphasised the importance of expediting cargo retrieval from both port yards and CFS facilities to facilitate uninterrupted container loading and unloading.
They also stressed the need to collect containers containing essential materials for the garment industry, dangerous goods and frozen food on weekdays and public holidays to reduce congestion.
The CPA reiterated that the port can effectively handle the influx of vessels and containers with the existing infrastructure if importers ensure timely collection of cargo and maintain operational warehouses before and after Eid.
The port authority also confirmed its willingness to provide continuous container and cargo delivery services.
The port is currently operating at full capacity, with some 29,056 TEUs reportedly occupying yard space out of a total capacity of 53,518 TEUs.
Situated on the Karnaphuli River, Chattogram serves as Bangladesh's main seaport, handling more than 90% of the country's nation's import-export trade.