In the first four months of the current fiscal year, Chittagong Sea Port, the largest seaport in the nation, had a 6.5 percent increase in container handling. On the other hand, fewer ships are arriving at the port, and less cargo is being processed. According to port officials, they view the rise in container handling and the shorter average ship stay favorably. The director clarified that fewer ships using the port did not imply a drop in imports and exports. Larger ships were now transporting 2,000 containers each, whereas smaller ships used to carry 1,200 to 1,500 containers.
As many as 1,281 ships arrived in Chittagong Port in the last four months, 161 fewer than the total number of ships arriving in the same period last year. In 2023, 1,392 ships arrived over this period and 1,460 in 2022. Chittagong Port has recovered from the crisis it faced, said Chittagong Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Faruk. The increase in container handling has proven that, he said. Besides, the number of containers stuck at the port dropped with the improvement of the overall situation.
At the start of the new year, the extent of the progress will become clear. According to the Chittagong Port Authority, during the fiscal year 2024–2025, the Chittagong Port handled about 1.1 million TEU (Twenty-feet Equivalent Unit) containers between July and October. In 2023, the number was 1,030,757 TEUs for the same time frame. As a result, this year’s handling of containers increased by 71,160, or 6.45 percent. In 2022, at least 1,023,739 TEUs were handled during that time. In July, 271,335 TEUs were handled; in August, 271,869; in September, 283,324; and in October, 275,389 TEUs. In the meantime, during the current fiscal year, over 39 million tonnes of freight were handled in July, August, September, and October.
