Ctg port to release FCL import containers from ICDs after Eid to ease congestion
ICDs have capacity to handle 18,000 additional TEUs monthly
To prevent congestion at the port, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has decided to release imported Full Container Load (FCL) goods through off-docks (ICDs) for two months following Eid-ul-Adha.
The announcement was made in a press release issued by the port authority on 2 June.
Under the new arrangement, all FCL import containers — except those carrying raw materials for the BGMEA's ready-made garment industry — will be shifted to inland container depots (ICDs) for delivery.
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The move is intended to ensure smooth operations and prevent bottlenecks at the port during the upcoming Eid holiday period, which includes a 10-day public holiday.
According to the CPA, this measure will be implemented on a trial basis and will remain in effect for two months after Eid. All relevant stakeholders have been requested to take the necessary steps to facilitate uninterrupted import and export activities.
The Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) has welcomed the move, noting that currently ICDs to handle approximately 22,000 TEUs of 50 specific types of imported goods per month. However, the ICDs have the capacity to handle at least 18,000 additional TEUs beyond that volume.
Mohammad Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of BICDA, told The Business Standard that Chattogram Port processes around 110,000 import containers each month. Of these, 19 ICDs currently deliver about 22,000 containers. If fully utilized, the ICDs could deliver up to 40,000 TEUs per month — an additional capacity of 15,000 to 18,000 TEUs.
BICDA also highlighted that the recent slowdown in customs operations due to a pen-down strike by officials, coupled with heavy rainfall and other logistical challenges, has worsened container congestion at the port.
The CPA's latest decision to divert non-BGMEA import containers to ICDs aims to ease this pressure.
This is not the first time such a measure has been taken. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBR allowed all types of import containers to be moved to private ICDs due to delivery delays and mounting congestion at the port. That decision had successfully alleviated pressure on port facilities.
BICDA reiterated that the ICDs have sufficient infrastructure and operational readiness to implement the CPA's directive and ensure smooth delivery of import containers over the next two months.
