An enforcement drive by the Department of Shipping has begun easing congestion caused by the use of lighter vessels as floating warehouses, with 227 ships unloading cargo and returning to the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port over the past week.
The move has helped restore cargo handling at river ports after authorities warned importers against detaining vessels beyond 20 days, the Department of Shipping said, adding that legal action and fines are being imposed through daily inspections in Dhaka and Narayanganj.
On January 27 alone, officials inspected 32 lighter vessels as part of the crackdown, which aims to curb hoarding and free up capacity at the port’s outer anchorage.
Director General of the Department of Shipping Commodore Md Shafiul Bari said the number of stranded vessels is declining as importers speed up unloading, easing shortages of lighter ships needed to serve mother vessels at Chattogram Port.
Data from the Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell (BIWTC) show that about 720 lighter vessels were stranded nationwide a week ago, carrying an estimated 1.1 million metric tonnes of cargo, including edible oil, sugar, pulses, maize, coal, stone, cement clinker, gypsum, urea and fly ash.
To address the backlog, the Department of Shipping formed a special task force on January 14 and began operating mobile courts, with participation from the Bangladesh Coast Guard, Naval Police and the Inland Waterways Inspection Department.
On January 22, the department issued notices to managing directors of nine business groups and two related organisations, directing them to promptly unload long-detained vessels.
The Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association offered a more cautious assessment, saying the number of stranded vessels had fallen by about 10 per cent as of January 27.
BCVOA Secretary Engineer Mehbub Kabir said around 720 lighter ships were stuck a week earlier and urged importers to unload the remaining vessels quickly to stabilise operations.
According to Chattogram Port Authority data, about 4,200 commercial vessels call at the port annually, with bulk carriers accounting for 45 per cent. Nearly 80 per cent of bulk cargo is discharged at the outer anchorage using lighter vessels.
Port officials said imports have risen ahead of Ramadan, while delayed returns of lighter vessels had cut unloading efficiency at the outer anchorage by 30 to 35 per cent.
Around 2,000 registered lighter vessels operate from Chattogram Port’s outer anchorage, including 1,022 under BIWTC management and 629 run by private owners, with authorities seeking to bring more vessels under central coordination.
