The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has increased its container storage capacity by about 10 percent, bringing total capacity to 59,000 TEUs to relieve a congestion squeeze that has troubled the port over the past two months. The expansion was achieved by freeing up space in existing yards and by beginning to use two old sheds outside the main port area.
As of Wednesday, containers occupied more than 88 percent of available space. In total, 47,463 TEUs of all types remained in the yards against a capacity of 53,518 TEUs, according to CPA data. The situation is particularly tight for import containers: about 95 percent of incoming imports are full container loads (FCL), with the yards designed to hold 40,368 TEUs of FCL containers. By yesterday morning, 38,895 TEUs were stored, filling over 96 percent of the FCL space.
The congestion has been aggravated by delays in moving containers bound for Dhaka’s inland container depots, largely due to a shortage of locomotives on the railway network. CPA secretary Md Omar Faruk said that despite the heavy load, deliveries of import containers and shipments of exports were continuing smoothly.
Several factors have contributed to the buildup, including the 10-day Eid-ul-Azha holidays, a nationwide strike by revenue officials, weeks of customs server disruption, and repeated work abstention by prime mover operators. To ease the problem, the CPA has created extra space in yards adjoining various sheds and has begun storing containers in the large spaces of two old sheds, named X and Y, located about two kilometres from the main yard.
Faruk said the new storage capacity now stands at 59,000 TEUs, but acknowledged additional challenges, such as the slow transport of Dhaka-bound containers and a backlog of around 10,000 abandoned TEUs at the auction yard. The CPA noted that the update in capacity would soon be reflected in the official database.
