The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has increased its container storage capacity by nearly 10 percent in a bid to ease severe congestion that has gripped the port over the past two months.
To tackle the pressure, the CPA has freed up additional yard space and begun using two old sheds located outside the main port area. This expansion has raised storage capacity to 59,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), up from 53,518 TEUs, though the update is yet to be reflected in the official database.
As of yesterday, containers occupied more than 88 percent of available space, with 47,463 TEUs stored against the previous capacity of 53,518 TEUs. Import containers have been hardest hit, as 95 percent of arrivals are full container load (FCL). The yards were designed to accommodate 40,368 TEUs of FCL containers, but by yesterday morning 38,895 TEUs were in storage over 96 percent of capacity.
Congestion has been exacerbated by delays in moving containers to Dhaka’s inland depots, primarily due to a shortage of railway locomotives.
Despite the pressure, CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said deliveries of imports and shipments of exports are continuing smoothly thanks to recent capacity expansions. “Businesses face no disruption in import deliveries and export shipments even with such heavy volumes,” he told The Daily Star.
The container build-up has been fueled by a series of setbacks, including the 10-day Eid-ul-Azha holidays, a nationwide revenue officials’ strike, weeks of customs server disruptions, and repeated work stoppages by prime mover operators.
“To ease the problem, we have created extra space in adjoining yards and started storing containers in the large open areas of sheds X and Y, located about two kilometres from the main yard,” Faruk said. He also acknowledged challenges in clearing a backlog of around 10,000 abandoned containers at the auction yard, as well as the slow movement of Dhaka-bound cargo.
**Summary**
-Chittagong Port Expands Storage to Tackle Container Congestion-
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has expanded its container storage capacity by nearly 10 percent, raising it from 53,518 TEUs to 59,000 TEUs, in response to mounting congestion at the port.
*Key Details*
• Capacity Increase: Storage expanded from 53,518 TEUs to 59,000 TEUs.
• New Space Allocation: Additional capacity was created by optimizing existing yards and repurposing two old sheds outside the main port area.
• Cause of Expansion: Severe congestion, with containers filling more than 88% of available yard space as of August 20.
• Import Container Pressure: The crunch was particularly acute for full container load (FCL) imports, which nearly maxed out the yards allocated for them.
The move is expected to ease pressure on the port and support smoother container handling despite the recent surge in yard occupancy.
Source: The Daily Star
To tackle the pressure, the CPA has freed up additional yard space and begun using two old sheds located outside the main port area. This expansion has raised storage capacity to 59,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), up from 53,518 TEUs, though the update is yet to be reflected in the official database.
As of yesterday, containers occupied more than 88 percent of available space, with 47,463 TEUs stored against the previous capacity of 53,518 TEUs. Import containers have been hardest hit, as 95 percent of arrivals are full container load (FCL). The yards were designed to accommodate 40,368 TEUs of FCL containers, but by yesterday morning 38,895 TEUs were in storage over 96 percent of capacity.
Congestion has been exacerbated by delays in moving containers to Dhaka’s inland depots, primarily due to a shortage of railway locomotives.
Despite the pressure, CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said deliveries of imports and shipments of exports are continuing smoothly thanks to recent capacity expansions. “Businesses face no disruption in import deliveries and export shipments even with such heavy volumes,” he told The Daily Star.
The container build-up has been fueled by a series of setbacks, including the 10-day Eid-ul-Azha holidays, a nationwide revenue officials’ strike, weeks of customs server disruptions, and repeated work stoppages by prime mover operators.
“To ease the problem, we have created extra space in adjoining yards and started storing containers in the large open areas of sheds X and Y, located about two kilometres from the main yard,” Faruk said. He also acknowledged challenges in clearing a backlog of around 10,000 abandoned containers at the auction yard, as well as the slow movement of Dhaka-bound cargo.
**Summary**
-Chittagong Port Expands Storage to Tackle Container Congestion-
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has expanded its container storage capacity by nearly 10 percent, raising it from 53,518 TEUs to 59,000 TEUs, in response to mounting congestion at the port.
*Key Details*
• Capacity Increase: Storage expanded from 53,518 TEUs to 59,000 TEUs.
• New Space Allocation: Additional capacity was created by optimizing existing yards and repurposing two old sheds outside the main port area.
• Cause of Expansion: Severe congestion, with containers filling more than 88% of available yard space as of August 20.
• Import Container Pressure: The crunch was particularly acute for full container load (FCL) imports, which nearly maxed out the yards allocated for them.
The move is expected to ease pressure on the port and support smoother container handling despite the recent surge in yard occupancy.
Source: The Daily Star