Container congestion at Ctg port reduces by 1,200 TEUs in a day as customs employees resume work
In just one day, the number of containers stored at the port dropped by 1,219 TEUs in a day, reducing the congestion that had built up in recent weeks, shows port data
Container deliveries at Chittagong Port have resumed at a remarkable pace following the withdrawal of the pen-down strike by customs officials on 19 May, demanding that the government backtrack from its decision to split the National Board of Revenue (NBR) into two divisions.
In just one day, the number of backlogged containers stored at the port dropped by 1,219 TEUs in a day, reducing the congestion that had built up in recent weeks, shows port data.
Amid the continuous protest by customs officials, the government today announced that it has decided to backtrack on its decision to implement an ordinance that would divide the NBR into two divisions.
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In a press release issued today (22 May), signed by the Relations Officer of the ministry, Gazi Touhidul Islam, it said the NBR will function as before until the ordinance is amended.
Between 20-22 May, daily container deliveries ranged from 4,000 to over 5,000 TEUs—up from 3,000–3,500 TEUs.
According to port data, 3,920 TEUs of containers were delivered on 19 May, 4,369 TEUs on 20 May, 4,504 TEUs on 21 May, and 5,010 TEUs on 22 May.
Container delivery counts are measured over a 24-hour cycle from 8 am to 8 am the next day.
As per port data, 44,231 TEUs of containers were stored at the port on 20 May. On 21 May, that number fell to 43,012 TEUs, a drop of 1,219 TEUs in one day. On May 22, the count slightly rose to 43,071 TEUs.
Earlier, on 11 May, the port yard held 36,809 TEUs of containers. Within 11 days—amid the pen-down protest—yard congestion grew by 6,262 TEUs.
Chattogram Port has a storage capacity of 53,518 TEUs, with 35,000 containers considered optimal for smooth operations.
Mahfuzul Haque Shah, former director of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told The Business Standard (TBS), "Imports and exports came to a halt due to the customs officials' movement. A swift resolution is essential; otherwise, the economic impact on Bangladesh will be severe."
The revenue target for Chattogram Custom House in FY 2024–25 is Tk 80,402 crore. The target for the first ten months is Tk 70,631 crore, against which Tk 62,818.92 crore has been collected, falling short by Tk 7,296.43 crore.
Md Obaidul Hoque Alamgir, first joint general secretary of the Chattogram Custom Agents Association, told TBS, "The customs officials' strike has already led to container congestion at the port. The document assessment process is delayed, forcing importers to incur extra costs in storage and warehousing. We demand a permanent solution to this crisis."
Revenue collection figures from the Chittagong Custom House show fluctuation during the period of the pen-down: Tk287.07 crore on 13 May, Tk327.06 crore on 14 May, Tk 374.46 crore on 15 May, Tk0.54 crore on 16 May, Tk205.92 crore on 17 May, Tk 341.25 crore on 18 May, Tk275.47 crore on 19 May, Tk260.68 crore on 20 May, and Tk316.97 crore on 19 May..
Customs House spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner Saidul Islam, told TBS, "Although the pen-down program was scheduled to end at 3pm on 19 May, we processed the documents of C&F agents who arrived later, working until 8 pm. This helped avoid a significant impact on revenue."
He acknowledged some delays in goods clearance and assessment but insisted that "no major disaster" has yet occurred.
