Chaos at Chittagong as port workers' strike creates vessel and box backlogs
Congestion at Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port is mounting, following a wave of strikes last week, with 18 containerships in a queue to berth that eis expected to take a fortnight to clear.
Prime movers and trailers workers downed tools on 4 February after reportedly being attacked by government officials near the port, with vessels forced to either delay sailing for up to two days or depart without boxes, leading to a backlog of containers.
Director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents’ Association (BSAA) Muntasir Rubayat told The Loadstar the strike had “severely disrupted the entire operational cycle”.
He added: “With Ramadan approaching and reduced working hours expected, delays may escalate if not addressed promptly. To ensure smooth operations before the Eid closure, it is imperative to clear the backlog within the next 15 days.
“All stakeholders, particularly importers, berth operators/terminal operators, and off-docks, must adopt a proactive approach to mitigate the crisis.”
Officials at the port have stressed that it would take “at least” two weeks to clear container and vessel backlogs at the country’s largest gateway.
Today, some 38,000 teu of containers are scattered around port yards, with reports that depots are also full of outbound boxes as a result of the disruption.
Vessel owner Saiful Islam, general manager of Sea Consortium Bangladesh, told The Loadstar he fears his ship will be waiting at least three more days after dropping anchor outside Chittagong yesterday morning.
Noting five ships that had been waiting since Saturday, he said: “In two weeks Ramadan will begin, when on average work remains suspended eight hours a day. If the present backlog is there for two more weeks the situation will further worsen.”
Over the past 12 months, the worst congestion at Chittagong was in week 31 of 2024, when almost 70% of vessels were waiting for a berth; two weeks ago that figure was 25%, but by this morning it had hit 57.5%.
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