11,000 containers pile up due to delayed clearance during holidays”

Business Report :

About 11,000 containers piled up in the Chattogram Port due to delayed clearance during holidays of the Eid-ul-Azha.

Sources said, in May, before Eid, a pen-down strike by customs officials and a transport strike caused vessel congestion at the port. Before the situation could normalize, the long Eid-ul-Azha holiday began. Although port operations continued during the holidays, importers significantly reduced their cargo clearance.

As a result, the number of import-laden containers at the port is growing. Officials fear that if importers do not promptly clear their goods, the congestion will worsen, potentially impacting the quality of services.

Port officials say that 80% of the container yard capacity is currently occupied. That space is shrinking every hour. As space availability decreases, cargo handling and overall port operations take longer. Consequently, importers will have to wait longer to receive their goods.

The Eid-ul-Azha holiday started on 5 June and is ongoing for 10 consecutive days. During this period, the port remained operational except for one shift on Eid day. So, container loading and unloading from vessels continued throughout the holidays.

However, importers did not actively clear their goods. This led to a build-up of containers at the port. The holiday ends tomorrow (Saturday), and regular operations at customs and other government and private offices will resume from Sunday.

Port officials fear that the pile-up may increase further before then.