Container movement at Chattogram port has returned to normal following the withdrawal of a transport strike by transport owners and workers, who had been protesting a sharp increase in vehicle entry fees.
According to the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), between 8:00 am on October 20 and 8:00am on October 19, a total of 3,742 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import-laden containers were delivered from the port – an impressive rebound compared to just 295 TEUs during the previous 24-hours amid the strike.
On the same day, 2,256 TEUs of export and empty containers were loaded onto vessels, while 2,630 TEUs of import containers were unloaded. The port yard, which has a storage capacity of 59,000 TEUs, held 43,947 TEUs of containers as of October 20.
CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk confirmed that operations began to normalise after the strike was called off on Sunday afternoon.
“Container deliveries carrying imported goods resumed immediately after the strike ended. All operational activities, including loading and unloading, are now running smoothly,” he said.
Meanwhile, clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents and their employees observed a four-hour strike on Sunday, protesting increased gate pass fees. However, the strike was withdrawn on Monday after the port authority assured that gate pass charges would remain unchanged. As a result, both import and export activities at Chattogram port and Chattogram Customs are now operating normally.
Workers were seen At the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT), and General Cargo Berth (GCB), workers and officials were seen busy clearing the backlog of goods. Export containers that missed shipment on Sunday are being loaded onto the next available vessels.
Officials from private terminal operators told Times that after the strike was lifted at around 3:00pm on Sunday, container deliveries began the same afternoon.
“By Monday morning, the port had regained its usual rhythm. Everyone is working diligently to clear the accumulated import and export containers,” one official said.
Cargo movement at private inland container depots (ICDs) in Chattogram has also returned to normal. Approximately 2,000 export containers that were stuck on Sunday due to the strike were cleared between Sunday afternoon and Monday.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), said that during normal operations, about 2,200 TEUs of export containers move daily from 21 private depots to the port while around 1,000 TEUs of import containers are brought from the port to depots.
“The containers stuck overnight on Sunday have already been sent to the port. The situation has returned to normal since Monday,” he added.
Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, general secretary of the Chattogram C&F Agent Employees Union, said the port authority had initially increased up to 900 percent in fees for 10 types of services, including temporary and permanent gate passes for prime movers.
“The vehicle entry fee and several other charges were suspended following our discussions with the port authority. After receiving the official letter, we withdrew our strike on Sunday night. By Monday, C&F employees had returned to normal duties at the port, Custom House, and various off-docks,” he said.
The CPA implemented a new tariff structure on October 15, which increased port charges by an average of 41 percent across 56 different services. Under the new rate, the vehicle entry fee was raised from Tk 57.50 to Tk 230.
The abrupt rise in fees led to protests from prime mover, truck, and covered van owners and workers, who suspended all cargo transport from Saturday. The strike was ultimately called off after a meeting between port officials and transport leaders on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier on October 18, the Chattogram Port Users Forum held a protest meeting demanding a review of the new tariff.
The forum warned that if the increased tariffs were not reassessed within a week, port users would move to shut down operations at Chattogram port.
