From Our Correspondent, Chattogram: At the beginning of 2025, a total of 96 container vessels were operating regularly at the Chattogram Port. As the months passed, port authorities granted further permissions, raising the number to 118 vessels. However, this unchecked expansion has now placed the port authorities in a difficult situation.
With growing congestion and limited berthing capacity, vessels are being forced to anchor at the outer anchorage for extended periods before being allowed to dock. In response to the crisis, the Chattogram Port Authority has asked the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) to reduce the number of vessels by at least 15 — a move that has sparked sharp resistance.
Shipping agents have argued that such an abrupt cut is impractical and would disrupt global shipping schedules. This, in turn, could trigger increased freight costs and even additional surcharges. The BSAA has further warned that this decision may hamper the transport of nearly 30,000 TEUs of containers monthly, severely affecting export industries — particularly the ready-made garments sector.
The BSAA has also cautioned that once vessels are removed from the schedule, bringing them back would be extremely challenging. Main Line Operators (MLOs) may even lose interest in using Bangladeshi ports altogether.
A former director of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce told BusinessToday24 that port authorities are solely responsible for the current situation. He criticized the indiscriminate approvals given to shipping agents without considering the port’s actual capacity. While acknowledging the necessity of reducing vessel numbers, he called for an inquiry into why 22 additional vessels were approved within just a few months.
The situation has alarmed factory owners who are worried about timely delivery of raw materials. A garment factory owner reported that two of his incoming shipments — one since July 19 and another since July 20 — have been waiting at the outer anchorage, while his in-house raw material stocks are nearly depleted.
Currently, Chattogram Port has berthing capacity for 16 vessels, of which 10 are allocated to container ships. The port’s Traffic Director, Enamul Karim, emphasized that to maintain the port’s international reputation, the ideal number of container ships should be kept between 96 and 100. He admitted that exceeding this limit has increased both waiting times and vessel queues, tarnishing the port’s image. Earlier this year, the waiting time was only two days, with 7 to 8 ships anchored outside at any given time.
According to port sources, a meeting held on July 20 decided to reduce container vessels by at least 15. The BSAA was officially notified to comply by July 27. In response, the BSAA requested a three-month period to monitor the situation and reconsider the decision.
BSAA Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif clarified that they did not agree to the July 20 decision. Instead, they stated they would consult their members and share feedback — which they did via a letter on July 24. He argued that the recent port congestion was mainly due to a series of issues including a long movement by NBR officials, around 66 days of public holidays due to Eid and festivals, equipment failures, trailer owners’ strikes, seasonal weather disruptions, and a ‘go-slow’ movement by berth operators during Q1. These, he asserted, were the primary causes behind the vessel congestion.
