ICD-bound containers allowed direct delivery from Ctg port amid congestion dispute
A temporary resolution has been reached in the dispute between C&F (Clearing and Forwarding) agents and inland container depot (ICD) owners concerning the direct delivery of ICD-bound import containers from Chattogram Port.
Amid mounting congestion and delivery delays ahead of Eid-ul-Adha, Chattogram Custom House today decided to allow direct delivery for a limited 15-day period, ending on 18 June.
The Chattogram Customs Agents (C&F) Association had formally requested permission for direct delivery from the customs commissioner, citing severe container congestion at the port due to limitations in off-dock handling capacity.
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In a letter dated 2 June, its General Secretary Shawkat Ali highlighted that the backlog was disrupting clearance, hindering domestic market supply, and delaying essential raw materials to industrial units, thereby affecting production.
The C&F agents claimed that private ICDs were holding nearly 17,000 import containers, almost double their designed capacity, arguing that temporary direct delivery would alleviate the situation.
In response, the Chattogram Custom House sought feedback from the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) on the same day. BICDA President Nurul Qayyum Khan, in a written reply, countered that only 3,396 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) – approximately 8.73% of the 38,872 TEU import containers at the port – were ICD-bound.
He cautioned that diverting even this small percentage for direct delivery could disrupt shipping and logistics schedules, particularly ahead of the holiday. The BICDA also asserted that their affiliated depots, with a combined capacity of 8,000 TEUs, were holding 7,621 TEUs as of 3 June, insisting there was no overflow and that delivery operations were proceeding normally.
Speaking to TBS, ASM Rezaul Karim, customs affairs secretary of the Chattogram Customs Agents Association, maintained that both the port and ICDs were facing operational strain. "There are more containers than the ICDs can handle efficiently. This is causing delivery delays, affecting market supply, and disrupting production in factories due to late arrival of raw materials," he stated. He further warned that "if container delivery is not expedited before the long Eid-ul-Adha holiday, the situation could worsen significantly."
