Indefinite work stoppage brings Chattogram Port to a complete standstill
The latest escalation follows three consecutive days of eight-hour work stoppages that began on Saturday.
Chattogram Port came to a complete halt today (4 February) as workers continued a 24-hour all-out stoppage over the government's decision to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to Dubai-based DP World was extended into an indefinite strike.
The stoppage, which began at 8am yesterday (3 February), rolled into an open-ended programme from this morning, shutting down all port operations.
Ships were seen lying idle at jetties, while gantry cranes and other handling equipment remained non-operational. Several jetties stood empty, but no new vessels were berthed due to the work stoppage. As a result, the number of ships waiting at the outer anchorage has risen to 96, according to port sources.
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With cargo delivery remaining suspended for the last 24 hours, thousands of heavy vehicles have been stranded both inside and outside the port area. Authorities have stopped allowing new vehicles to enter to prevent further congestion.
The latest escalation follows three consecutive days of eight-hour work stoppages that began on Saturday. Yesterday morning, port workers and employees launched a 24-hour all-out strike, which has now been converted into an indefinite programme.
Thousands of trucks carrying import cargo for delivery and export consignments for shipment have been caught in the disruption.
Importers say delays in cargo clearance are forcing them to pay additional storage rent, while exporters fear order cancellations and heavy financial losses as they fail to ship goods on time.
The disruption has also raised concerns over the supply of essential commodities ahead of Ramadan, as many containers carrying consumer goods remain stuck at the port, heightening the risk of shortages and price hikes in the market.
Business leaders and economists have warned that the unprecedented standoff could deepen further and trigger a serious strain on the national economy, as both the port authority and labour organisations remain rigid in their opposing positions over the NCT issue.
Claiming that workers and employees are participating in the strike spontaneously, coordinators of the Chattogram Port Rokkha Sangram Oikya Parishad alleged that port officials were being confined at the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority office in Dhaka and pressured to sign the contract.
The coordinators said the work stoppage would continue indefinitely unless the government withdraws what they described as a decision contrary to national interests to lease out the NCT.
Attempts to contact Chattogram Port Authority Director (Administration) and spokesperson Omar Faruk for comments on the situation were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls.
Students stage protest
Meanwhile, Students For Sovereignty has staged a protest, demanding cancellation of the government's decision to lease Chattogram Port's New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to a foreign company.
The protest took place today (4 February) around 11:30am in front of the PPP Authority office in Agargaon, where speakers called the move self-destructive and against national interest ahead of the election, reads a press release.
Addressing the rally, the leaders alleged the interim government is seeking to hand over the country's only world-class container terminal to a foreign operator without open bidding, raising concerns over transparency, security and long-term economic risks.
They also claimed that labour leaders at Chattogram Port are facing administrative harassment and transfers as part of efforts to suppress ongoing protests by port workers opposing the leasing decision.
According to the speakers, the government plans to grant long-term concessionary control under an "African model" of port management, warned it could undermine sovereignty, weaken domestic control and increase economic security.
The protesters said that under domestic management, Chattogram Port earns $161–167 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit), which they claim would fall under a foreign concession, putting additional pressure on the country's foreign exchange reserves.
They further alleged that the absence of an open tender process and the exclusion of other local and international bidders point to possible irregularities and conflicts of interest in the deal.
The organisation also rejected claims that major regional ports like Singapore and Vietnam are run by foreign firms, stating that Singapore's terminals are fully domestic and Vietnam has not given exclusive control to any single foreign operator.
Criticising the deal's strategic implications, the protesters claimed leasing the NCT to Dubai-based DP World could tie Chattogram Port to the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), increasing indirect geopolitical influence of India, Israel, the UAE, and the US over Bangladesh's main seaport.
The group called for decentralising the port system using China's river- and sea-based logistics model, saying it would cut transport costs, lower prices, promote regional industrialisation, and create jobs.
They also stressed that port operations are a key domestic industry that should be strengthened, urging the government to help local operators meet international standards and expand abroad.
