SIMIC

OWNERS of the inland container depots (ICDs) at Chattogram Port have sought allocation of space in the Chattogram Container Terminal (CCT) and Newmooring Container Terminal (NCT) to accommodate 1,500 TEUs export containers to ease congestion ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, which falls between June 27 and July 1.

Meanwhile, the average TEU awaiting shipment has increased to 15,000, more than double the limit of an average of 6,000-7000 TEU, in the total of 19 private ICDs, reports Dhaka's The Business Standard.



Nurul Qayyum Khan, president of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (Bicda), sent a letter to the Chattogram Port Authority seeking space for 1,500 TEU containers till the day before Eid to keep the depots operational by reducing the congestion.



Like previous years, export products have been sent to ICDs much before the shipment as export manufacturing factories will remain shut during the Eid holidays, increasing the volume of export goods and export cargo containers in the depots significantly.



Currently there are approximately 15,000 TEU export containers, 7,200 TEU import containers and 50,000 TEU empty containers inside the 19 private ICDs.



Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary of the Bicda, told The Business Standard that around 2,200 to 2,300 TEU of export cargo containers are being shipped from ICDs per day. As more than usual quantities of products have arrived at ICDs, it is difficult to load and store them in containers.



"We hope the Chattogram Port Authority will allocate separate slots for storing export containers in Chattogram Container Terminal and Newmooring Container Terminal till the day before Eid to deal with the situation," he added.