Amid Ramadan, allegations have surfaced against certain traders for hoarding imported goods at Chittagong Port, allegedly to engineer an artificial crisis and inflate market prices.
According to port officials, importers are using port yards as storage facilities by delaying goods release, creating an artificial crisis, while around 40,000 Full Container Load (FCL) containers remain in the port yard and off-docks.
The Chittagong Port Authority recently announced that if these goods-laden containers are not cleared by March 9, a fourfold charge will be imposed.
At present, they said, among the 40,089 containers located in various yards at Chittagong Port, 31,384 are FCL containers.
These containers, carrying imported goods, were left in the port yard without clearance, leading to disruptions in the port’s normal operations, they said.
Chaktai-Khatunganj Wholesalers Association General Secretary Ahsan Ullah Jahedi pointed to the limitations of Chittagong Port in handling goods clearance.
He said that the increased volume of goods being moved during Ramadan has led to some delays and complications in the clearance process, causing the goods to pile up at the port.
Not only at the port but also across 19 off-docks, imported FCL containers are piling up. Currently, these off-docks hold 8,700 imported and 8,300 export-bound containers.
Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) Secretary-General Ruhul Amin Sikder Biplob said, "Many importers are using Chittagong Port as a storage space, leaving their imported goods-laden containers there for 20 to 21 days. This is causing an accumulation of FCL containers at the port, leading to operational issues.”
“When importers attempt to clear their containers, they face container congestion and traffic jams, negatively impacting the port’s operations. Therefore, it is necessary to deliver the accumulated containers at Chittagong Port as soon as possible," he said.
Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Mohammad Omar Faruk told UNB that importers can keep goods-laden containers at the port yard for up to four days without charge. After this period, a 20-foot container incurs a fine of $6, while a 40-foot container incurs a fine of $12.
This penalty increased to $24 and $48 per container, respectively, after the allowed period, he added.
He said in light of the current situation, the Chittagong Port Authority has issued special instructions to clear imported goods and containers by March 9. If these instructions are not followed, from March 10 onwards, a fourfold charge will be applied to each container.
The port authority has already sent letters regarding this to BGMEA and other port user organisations.
Clifton Group Managing Director M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, an importer of garment products, blamed the customs authority’s manpower shortage for delays in container clearance. “The time-consuming clearance process is causing financial losses for us,” he said.
If the increased penalties are enforced, importers will have to pay $48 per day for a 20-feet container and $96 per day for a 40-feet container, further escalating costs, he said.
