Chattogram port, the country’s main seaport, is grappling with a severe container scanner crisis, causing significant disruption in import container delivery and leading to substantial business losses.
Of the nine scanners installed at the port, only four are currently functional. Sources at the port confirmed that four scanners installed in 2009 had long been out of service and are now being replaced. Another scanner has been out of operation for the past 15 days for parts replacement.
The crisis reached a peak on August 17 when four scanners malfunctioned, severely affecting container delivery, including off-dock transfers.
Business leaders have expressed concern over the disruption’s impact on productivity and trade. Sarwar Alam Khan, executive member of the Chattogram C&F Agents Association, highlighted that importers are facing financial strain due to delays caused by non-functioning scanners.
“Delays are forcing importers to pay additional storage rent at the port, further increasing their losses,” he said.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association (BICDA), told The Daily Times of Bangladesh that the crisis has become critical.
“Only three to four scanners are working, resulting in a 70 per cent drop in productivity. Although we bring about 3,000 export goods and empty containers daily, we can only return 1,000 import containers. If all scanners were operational, we could deliver at least 1,000 more containers daily.”
Five R Associates Limited, the company responsible for the supply and repair of the scanners, confirmed that four scanners from 2009 are unusable and are being replaced. A company official from the Chattogram office, speaking anonymously, added that one more scanner had been shut for repairs but would be operational soon.
Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Md. Omar Faruk, in a letter to the Commissioner of Chattogram Custom House on August 17, mentioned that the sudden breakdown of scanners in the GCB area had led to the shift of all scanning activities to the NCT area, causing heavy congestion at the port. He requested that all scanners be kept operational to ease the pressure.
Md. Omar Faruk, also the port’s spokesperson, said, “Container management and scanning fall under the customs authority. We have informed them of the issue and expect prompt action.”
Customs officials acknowledged the ongoing repairs and replacements. Deputy Commissioner HM Kabir, spokesperson of Chattogram Custom House, confirmed that one scanner is under repair and work is in progress to replace old units. “We hope the situation will improve soon,” he added.
Earlier, in February 2024, Chattogram Port Authority installed two scanners using its own funds after customs failed to set up new units. One scanner, for export containers, was handed over to customs but was shut down shortly after due to the expiration of the maintenance contract with Five R Associates. It was restarted on May 4. Another scanner, installed in February 2024, has yet to begin operations due to unresolved issues.
According to port data, the yard’s container storage capacity is 53,518 TEU. As of August 21, the yard held 46,761 containers, with 4,711 TEU delivered that day.