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Importers shun pick-ups, causing Port of Chittagong traffic to slow 75pc
来源：shippingazette.com 编辑：编辑部 发布：2020/04/20 09:26:13
TRUCK queues at the Port of Chittagong are no longer a problem as harbour activity slows in reaction to the global spread of the coronavirus.
The port is running at a quarter of its operational capacity, bogged down by space constraints created by ever-increasing stacks of import-laden containers, reports Dhaka's Daily Star.
The global pandemic-induced economic slowdown is keeping most importers from accepting deliveries. Only 1,000 TEU were removed in one day, 20 per cent of the daily average.
This has led to the accumulation of 46,690 TEU of imports, well past the port's limit of 37,620 TEU.
The problem surfaced not long after the countrywide lockdown came into effect March 26. The situation has turned so dire that the shipping ministry called an urgent meeting at the Chattogram Circuit House.
A number of stakeholders present at the meeting said most of the imports are raw materials of garment factories and agriculture commodities. They urged the respective importers to make their claims fast.
Otherwise, it will be impossible to continue the operations inside the port, said Fazle Ekram Chowdhury, president of the Berth Operators and Ship Handling Operators Owners Association (BGMEA).
Transport and workforce shortages and limited working hours at offices are delaying the release of cargo, said BGMEA director Anjan Shekhar Das.
Importers blamed the restriction imposed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) port rotation will be on the release of all types of goods.
The NBR has directed customs houses to work on a limited scale allowing release of only essential food commodities, emergency medicine and associated service materials during the shutdown.
But on April 7, the revenue board widened the scope to assess the duty of more imported items in order to ease the burden on the Chattogram port. Because of the relaxation, almost all goods can now be cleared save for those that were brought in for trading purpose.
Though the port is open 24 hours, other offices such as customs houses, banks, shipping agents, off docks and plant quarantine office stay open for a limited period, said Zafar Alam, a member of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA).
He also called for allowing the release of all types of goods.
This was opposed by Chattogram Customs House Commissioner Fakhrul Alam. Anything other than essential items should be held back, he said.
Importers are not taking the delivery on time although an adequate workforce is available at the customs house, he said.
Some 20,000 TEU could perhaps be shifted to 19 private off docks in Chattogram and another 2,500 TEU to Summit Alliance Port's inland container terminal at Muktarpur in Munshiganj to bring some relief, said CPA chairman Abul Kalam Azad.
"We need to fight the coronavirus and also need to keep the port operational. If the port becomes inoperative, the country's economy will collapse."
The decisions on keeping banks open for longer periods or shifting the import cargoes to the private off docks need to come from the higher levels of the government, said Divisional Commissioner ABM Azad.
The port is running at a quarter of its operational capacity, bogged down by space constraints created by ever-increasing stacks of import-laden containers, reports Dhaka's Daily Star.
The global pandemic-induced economic slowdown is keeping most importers from accepting deliveries. Only 1,000 TEU were removed in one day, 20 per cent of the daily average.
This has led to the accumulation of 46,690 TEU of imports, well past the port's limit of 37,620 TEU.
The problem surfaced not long after the countrywide lockdown came into effect March 26. The situation has turned so dire that the shipping ministry called an urgent meeting at the Chattogram Circuit House.
A number of stakeholders present at the meeting said most of the imports are raw materials of garment factories and agriculture commodities. They urged the respective importers to make their claims fast.
Otherwise, it will be impossible to continue the operations inside the port, said Fazle Ekram Chowdhury, president of the Berth Operators and Ship Handling Operators Owners Association (BGMEA).
Transport and workforce shortages and limited working hours at offices are delaying the release of cargo, said BGMEA director Anjan Shekhar Das.
Importers blamed the restriction imposed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) port rotation will be on the release of all types of goods.
The NBR has directed customs houses to work on a limited scale allowing release of only essential food commodities, emergency medicine and associated service materials during the shutdown.
But on April 7, the revenue board widened the scope to assess the duty of more imported items in order to ease the burden on the Chattogram port. Because of the relaxation, almost all goods can now be cleared save for those that were brought in for trading purpose.
Though the port is open 24 hours, other offices such as customs houses, banks, shipping agents, off docks and plant quarantine office stay open for a limited period, said Zafar Alam, a member of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA).
He also called for allowing the release of all types of goods.
This was opposed by Chattogram Customs House Commissioner Fakhrul Alam. Anything other than essential items should be held back, he said.
Importers are not taking the delivery on time although an adequate workforce is available at the customs house, he said.
Some 20,000 TEU could perhaps be shifted to 19 private off docks in Chattogram and another 2,500 TEU to Summit Alliance Port's inland container terminal at Muktarpur in Munshiganj to bring some relief, said CPA chairman Abul Kalam Azad.
"We need to fight the coronavirus and also need to keep the port operational. If the port becomes inoperative, the country's economy will collapse."
The decisions on keeping banks open for longer periods or shifting the import cargoes to the private off docks need to come from the higher levels of the government, said Divisional Commissioner ABM Azad.