Uncertainty at Chattogram Port: Operations resume but tensions run high amid CPA action
Chattogram port operations have resumed after a two-day pause, but mounting backlogs, vessel congestion and fresh action against protesting workers have kept tensions high and raised fears of renewed disruption.
Operations at Chattogram Port have resumed following a two-day suspension of an earlier announced continuous work stoppage, but severe container backlogs, vessel congestion, and a fresh administrative action by the port authority have kept tensions high.
Moreover, a sense of uncertainty continues to loom, as protesters have warned they will resume their strike tomorrow unless the shipping adviser's assurances are met and the harassment against them does not stop immediately.
Industry sources said the six-day protest since last Saturday has threatened trade worth hundreds of crores of taka, disrupting both import and export shipments, with stakeholders warning that a larger crisis is unfolding as more than 14,000 export containers remain stuck at various depots.
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Although labour leaders withdrew the continuous work abstention on Thursday afternoon, vessel movement could not resume immediately due to low tide and the absence of night navigation.
Ships stranded at jetties were removed during yesterday morning's high tide, after which vessels waiting at the outer anchorage were brought alongside. Full-scale operations gained pace only by the afternoon.
Container delivery from yards and the movement of boxes from private depots to the port resumed on Thursday evening. However, long queues of trucks were seen at all terminal gates yesterday morning.
While port activities have gradually picked up, stakeholders warned that the disruption has triggered a chain reaction that could affect export schedules, raise costs and strain confidence among overseas buyers.
Port officials said it would take several days to normalise operations after the six-day disruption.
The port had been effectively paralysed by intermittent eight-hour work stoppages over three days from Saturday, followed by a continuous strike from Tuesday.
More than 38,000 TEUs of containers are currently stacked at port yards, including over 29,000 full container load (FCL) units. Around 1,500 containers are bound for private depots, while nearly 1,750 are destined for the Kamlapur Inland Container Depot.
On the export side, nearly 1,000 TEUs of export-laden containers remain stuck inside the port, while more than 13,000 export containers are piled up at private inland container depots.
CPA seeks ACC probe, travel ban
Meanwhile, amid the fragile resumption of operations, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) has sought an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation into the movable and immovable assets of 15 port employees involved in the recent protests.
The CPA has also requested a travel ban to prevent the employees from leaving the country.
The request was made in a letter signed on Thursday by CPA Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim and sent to the secretary of the Ministry of Shipping. Copies were forwarded to the shipping adviser's office, the ACC and the director general of the National Intelligence Agency.
The move came shortly after port workers announced a temporary suspension of their continuous work stoppage.
Earlier on Thursday, the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad announced the two-day pause following a meeting with Shipping Adviser M Shakhawat Hossain. Parishad coordinator Mohammad Humayun Kabir said, "The work stoppage would resume from Sunday if assurances given at the meeting were not implemented."
The letter names 15 employees, including parishad coordinators Mohammad Humayun Kabir and Mohammad Ibrahim Khokon, both previously transferred on deputation to Mongla and Payra ports.
The CPA alleged that the employees were involved in activities "against the state" and requested that relevant agencies be notified to prevent foreign travel.
In a separate note addressed to the ACC, the CPA requested a full investigation into the listed employees' assets and appropriate action based on the findings.
Workers react, agitation may resume
Confirming the letter, Ibrahim Khokon, said the movement had been postponed for two days in consideration of the upcoming holy month of Ramadan and assurances from the shipping adviser.
However, he said the CPA's move had disappointed workers, describing the letter as "derogatory and provocative."
The parishad has been protesting the decision to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal to DP World. During the protests, several employees were transferred instead of talks being initiated, further escalating tensions.
In response to the CPA letter, the Chattogram Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad has also warned of an indefinite work stoppage from tomorrow if what it described as harassment of protesting workers is not immediately stopped.
The warning was issued following an emergency meeting of the parishad held at around 5pm yesterday.
Speaking after the meeting, the association leaders said, "Instead of de-escalation, we are now witnessing the opposite."
They alleged that the CPA's move was taken under instructions from the shipping adviser and described it as "immoral and reprehensible." They said workers would not be intimidated by threats of travel bans or asset investigations.
"What the port authority is doing amounts to playing with fire," the leaders warned.
They demanded that the Ministry of Shipping issue an official statement by today, clearly withdrawing from the NCT leasing process and immediately reversing worker transfers and other measures they described as punitive.
Demurrage costs, export risks rise
Although fresh export boxes have begun arriving since Thursday evening, officials cautioned that clearing the backlog alongside new inflows will be difficult.
Congestion has also intensified at the outer anchorage, where fuel oil and gas tankers, more than 50 container vessels and over 100 bulk carriers are waiting. With new ships anchoring daily, managing berthing schedules will remain a challenge, stakeholders said.
Industry insiders note that import and export cargo worth hundreds of crores of taka is currently at risk.
Vessels waiting at the outer anchorage are incurring demurrage running into several crore taka per day, which will continue until ships berth, complete cargo handling and depart. On average, demurrage costs are about $20,000 per vessel per day, business leaders said.
Khairul Alam Sujan, former director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association and former vice-president of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders' Association, warned that the larger crisis is still unfolding.
More than 14,000 export containers are currently stuck at different depots, he said, while several scheduled mother vessels serving Bangladesh have already sailed without the country's allocated cargo.
As a result, upcoming mother vessels will have limited capacity to accommodate the backlog, potentially prolonging congestion for two to two-and-a-half months, he added.
"This is not just about financial loss. The greater damage is to Bangladesh's credibility," Sujan said, warning that exporters may miss delivery deadlines for Europe and North America due to limited space on mother vessels, disrupting buyers' distribution plans.
Fazle Ekram Chowdhury, president of the Berth Operators Association, said berth operators are under intense pressure to handle a surge of vessels and containers within limited capacity.
"The port is running, but the system is heavily strained," he said, adding that sustained round-the-clock operations and close coordination among stakeholders would be required to stabilise the situation.
On the issue, Chattogram Port Director (Administration) Mohammad Omar Faruk said the port authority is working day and night to ease vessel and yard congestion as quickly as possible.
