Chattogram Port posted record-breaking performance in 2025, achieving its highest-ever container throughput, cargo handling and vessel calls, despite facing multiple operational challenges during the year.
Data released by the Chittagong Port Authority’s (CPA) traffic department showed that container handling rose by 4.07% year on year, while overall cargo volumes increased by 11.43% and vessel calls climbed by 10.5%.
Bangladesh’s largest seaport, which accounts for around 92% of the country’s total import and export trade and 98% of containerised cargo, handled 3.409 million TEUs of export, import and empty containers between January and December 2025. This marked an increase of 133,442 TEUs from 3.276 million TEUs in the previous year.
The milestone was particularly significant as it marked the first time since the start of container operations in 1977 that annual throughput crossed 3.4 million TEUs, setting a new record for the port.
Of the total volume handled, around 1.552 million TEUs were export containers and 1.857 million TEUs were import containers, while empty containers accounted for roughly 750,000 TEUs. Container movements were recorded through the port’s two main inland facilities—the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj and the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot in Dhaka.
Cargo handling also touched a new high, with the port handling 138.2 million tonnes in 2025, up from 124 million tonnes a year earlier. Vessel calls increased to 4,273 during the year, compared with 3,867 in 2024.
Port operations, however, were not without disruption. Yard congestion at various points during the year led to vessel queues and extended waiting times. Port officials said a series of measures, including the expansion of yard capacity and technology upgrades, helped ease pressure on operations. By the final quarter of 2025, vessel waiting times had largely been eliminated, allowing the port to sustain its growth momentum.
Khairul Alam Suzan, former director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association, said container volumes could rise by as much as one million TEUs over the next five years. He noted that the Laldia Container Terminal was expected to commence operations by then following a recent agreement with a foreign operator, but added that its capacity would be limited to around 800,000 TEUs annually.
To meet longer-term demand, Suzan called for the acceleration of other major infrastructure projects, including the Bay Terminal and the Matarbari port, to support Bangladesh’s growing trade volumes.
