Bangladesh News

Life at the port city Chittagong came to a standstill due to Awami League (AL) led 14-party combine’s blockade programme started yesterday.
With 30 ships waiting for loading and unloading, the country’s premier Chittagong seaport is also facing the most awful congestion in the recent time due to the volatile political situation in the country.

The 14-party combine enforced a continuous siege programme in the capital and Chittagong and Mongla seaports from yesterday demanding implementation of their reforms agenda.

At a rally on Thursday, Mayor of Chittagong City Corporation ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury also declared a rail and road blockade programme in the port city yesterday and continuous hartal from today obstructing transport of goods from and to Chittagong.

Due to the blockade, few vehicles plied while mills and factories remained closed.

Loading and unloading at the port came to a minimum level.

It is feared that the congestion at the port will increase further as addition of the waiting ships will further enhance the turn around time.

Every day five to seven ships arrive at the port for loading and unloading goods, sources said.

Twenty-three container vessels have been waiting at the outer anchorage of the port while another seven ships are at the port jetty, port sources said. Of the 23 ships waiting at the outer anchorage, 19 are container vessels and four bulk carriers.

Some 19,000TEU containers are now stockpiled at the port yard having capacity of 13,000 TEUs and it adds to the huge congestion there, sources said, adding that there is hardly any space left at the port yard for keeping newly arrived containers.

Due to heavy congestion at the port a ship has to wait at least seven to ten days at the outer anchorage to get permission for entering the port channel.

The feeder vessel operators already threatened to impose an additional surcharge of $50 per TEU (twenty equivalent unit) on all Chittagong bound cargo due to heavy congestion at the port.

Business leaders have expressed concern that the country’s economy is going to face another onslaught due to uncertainty in the political arena.

“We are worried and buyers are inquiring into what is happening in our country faced with a volatile political situation,” said SM Fazlul Haque, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Expressing hope that the political parties would keep the export-import sector out of the purview of their agitation programme, the BGMEA president said, “Already 270 garment units became sick and we do not want to see any more sick industries in the sector.”

The garment factories face tremendous difficulties as the banks never give any waiver of high interest rate even though the garment export is hampered due to political disturbances in the country, he said.