Container congestion has intensified at Bangladesh’s Chattogram port following a significant drop in the delivery of imported goods, as operations at factories and transport services remain slow to resume after the Eid festival holidays.
Port officials reported that daily deliveries of import containers began declining on June 7, as many consignees were unavailable and logistical operations remained limited. The situation has raised concerns of acute congestion in the coming days, with clearance rates well below normal levels.
On June 6, the port cleared just 521 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a sharp contrast to the average daily delivery of approximately 4,500 TEUs. Deliveries halted entirely on Eid day and remained sluggish in subsequent days.
According to local media, only 437 TEUs were delivered or transferred in the 24 hours following the morning of June 8. The figure rose modestly to 1,381 TEUs on June 9 and 1,787 TEUs on June 10, still far below normal operations.
Compounding the issue, a backlog of container vessels developed at the port’s outer anchorage in the days following Eid. However, authorities said the situation has shown signs of improvement in recent days.
Chattogram port, the country’s principal seaport, has a storage capacity of 53,518 TEUs. Officials warn that unless industrial and logistical activities return to full capacity soon, the backlog may worsen, potentially disrupting the supply chain further.
