Empty containers pile up at ICDs as import-export gap widens

Highlights:

• Import-export container gap reached record 329,996 TEUs in FY26
• Empty containers are overwhelming private depots and Chattogram port capacity
• CPA seeks non-bonded storage approval for empty shipping containers
• Trade imbalance leaves far fewer loaded exports than imports
• Shipping lines delay moving empty containers due to low profitability
• Experts urge regulatory reforms and export growth to ease congestion

A widening imbalance between Bangladesh's container imports and exports is leaving inland container depots (ICDs) overflowing with empty containers, straining storage capacity for export cargo and prompting the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) to renew its push for regulatory changes.

The CPA has asked the National Board of Revenue to allow shipping agents and main line operators (MLOs) to store empty containers at suitable non-bonded locations without requiring bonded warehouse licences, arguing that the current rules are worsening congestion at both the port and private depots.

Infograph: TBS

In a letter sent on 26 July, the port authority revived a prior proposal submitted in October 2025 that has yet to receive approval.

Import-export gap reaches record high

CPA data show the gap between import and export containers has nearly doubled over the past five years, rising from 177,832 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in FY22 to a record 329,996 TEUs in FY26.

In FY22, the country handled 1.72 million TEUs of imports and 1.54 million TEUs of exports, leaving a gap of 177,832 TEUs.

The gap widened to 237,609 TEUs in FY23, despite imports falling slightly to 1.62 million TEUs and exports declining to 1.38 million TEUs.

In FY24, imports rebounded to 1.72 million TEUs, while exports reached 1.45 million TEUs, pushing the imbalance further to 278,500 TEUs.

Although the gap narrowed marginally to 276,357 TEUs in FY25, imports continued to outpace exports, with 1.79 million TEUs of imports compared with 1.51 million TEUs of exports.

Imports climbed to 1.93 million TEUs while exports rose to 1.60 million TEUs in FY26.

According to industry operators, the country's 24 private ICDs, which have a combined storage capacity of around 106,000 TEUs, are currently holding 56,565 TEUs of empty containers.

Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association, said the actual trade imbalance is even wider than official statistics indicate because the data include both loaded and empty containers.

"The country's real export volume is nearly half of its imports," he told The Business Standard.

"When vessels arrive and depart, both loaded and empty containers are counted in the port statistics. As a result, the published figures do not reflect the actual volume of export cargo," Ruhul Amin said.

According to detailed port data for calendar year 2023, the port handled 1,337,613 TEUs of imports, including 94,915 empty containers. During the same period, exports totalled 1,315,337 TEUs, of which 584,891 TEUs were empty containers shipped overseas.

Excluding empty boxes, loaded imports stood at 1,242,698 TEUs, while loaded exports amounted to just 730,446 TEUs, leaving an actual containerised trade gap of 512,252 TEUs.

He said the mounting stock of idle containers is reducing space available for export cargo.

"If shipping lines are allowed to store empty containers in non-bonded facilities, both ICD operators and shipping lines will get much-needed relief," he said.

Port calls for regulatory changes

In its letter to the NBR, the CPA said all imported less-than-container-load (LCL) cargo is destuffed inside the port, while nearly 70% of full container load (FCL) imports are opened for cargo delivery. As importers collect their goods, thousands of containers become empty every day.

However, empty containers are evacuated much more slowly than they are generated, leading to a steady build-up at both the port and private depots.

The authority noted that although shipping agents and MLOs are responsible for these containers, current NBR regulations prevent them from storing empty containers outside bonded facilities.

The CPA also pointed out that many countries, including Bangladesh's neighbours, allow shipping lines to manage empty container storage at suitable locations without requiring bonded warehouse licences.

Allowing similar arrangements in Bangladesh, it said, would improve yard utilisation, reduce congestion and streamline container handling.

Low commercial incentive to move empty boxes

Khairul Alam Suzan, former vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association and former director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association, said depot operators earn significantly more from handling loaded import and export containers than from storing empty ones.

Shipping lines also incur losses when transporting empty equipment.

"A loaded container may generate freight of around $300, while an empty container earns only about $100 despite occupying the same vessel space and requiring the same handling," he said.

"As a result, shipping lines often delay repositioning empty containers, prolonging their stay in Bangladesh and worsening congestion across the logistics chain," he said.

Long-term solutions needed

Industry experts say the growing stockpile of empty containers reflects Bangladesh's structural trade imbalance rather than simply a shortage of storage space.

Alongside allowing non-bonded storage, they recommend improving data on empty container movements, strengthening coordination among the CPA, Customs, NBR, shipping lines and depot operators, and boosting exports to narrow the persistent trade gap.

Without such measures, they warn, pressure on the port and the country's logistics network is likely to intensify as container traffic continues to grow.