Cargo transportation at Chattogram Port has come to a complete standstill as transport workers and C&F agents went on strike on Sunday, protesting the recent tariff and vehicle entry fee hike imposed by the port authority.
Due to the strike, export containers from private off-docks could not reach the port, forcing four vessels scheduled to leave for Singapore and Colombo to depart without carrying export goods.
Each ship was supposed to carry 400–500 TEUs of export containers, port sources said. However, the exact number of containers left unshipped could not be immediately confirmed.
According to the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), around 2,200 TEUs of fully loaded export containers are normally sent to Chattogram Port daily from private inland container depots (ICDs).
Since transport operations halted early Saturday, over 2,000 export containers could not be dispatched, disrupting the shipment schedules of multiple export consignments.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of BICDA, said, “The transport suspension has left hundreds of containers stranded at off-docks. Exporters are deeply concerned about missing delivery deadlines to buyers in Europe and America.”
The management of Vertex Off-Dock, one of the private depots, reported that nearly 100 TEUs of export containers are piling up every day due to the lack of prime mover operations. “We fear significant delays in shipments and financial losses for exporters,” a company official said.
To address the growing crisis, Chittagong port Chairman has convened an emergency meeting with all stakeholders on Sunday noon to discuss possible solutions.
The unrest stems from the implementation of new port tariffs on October 15, which have raised overall service costs by 41 percent. Under the revised structure, the vehicle entry fee increased from Tk 57.50 to Tk 230 per trip.
Prime mover owners have strongly protested the decision, demanding clarification on who will bear the additional expenses — importers, exporters, or depot operators. Despite several discussions, no consensus has been reached, prompting owners and workers to suspend goods movement indefinitely.
“Until there’s a clear directive on cost distribution, it’s impossible to resume operations,” said Mohammad Hossain, Secretary of the Chattogram Prime Mover Owners Association. “Around 8,000 vehicles — including prime movers, trucks, and covered vans — move through the port every day. Now most are idle.”
C&F agents join work abstention
Adding to the crisis, Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) agents began a four-hour work abstention from 9am on Sunday. Their protest has further crippled the port’s import and export activities.
Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, General Secretary of the Chattogram Customs Agent Employees Association, confirmed the partial strike and said C&F agents are supporting transport workers’ demands.
As a result, import goods are not being cleared from the port, and export containers are not being delivered to ships.
Supply chain at risk
Traders and logistics operators have warned that if the situation continues, it could cause a severe disruption in the national supply chain.
“Imported goods are stuck at the port, while export shipments are missing deadlines,” said Saiful Alam, President of the Chattogram C&F Agents Association. “Importers will face additional storage and demurrage charges, which will eventually push up consumer prices.”
Chittagong Port Secretary Md Omar Faruk acknowledged partial disruption in cargo movement but claimed that port handling operations remain functional. “The movement of trailers and goods-carrying vehicles has been blocked at some points,” he said.
“However, a few vehicles are still entering the port, and container handling activities are continuing.”
