Cargoes pile up at Ctg airport

Large quantities of cargoes sent home by expatriates in the Middle East have been stuck at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong for one and a half months as customs authorities say the goods were not sent following rules.

As a result, delivery from the cargo warehouse at the airport has come to a standstill, forcing two international flight operators to suspend their cargo operations since August 19.

Even some of the 1,200 tonnes of cargoes might not reach destinations as the Chittagong customs may go for auctions to free its compound from congestion.  The warehouse has a capacity to store only 250 tonnes of goods. As a result, a large number of cartons are lying outside the warehouse under an open sky, including the airport apron and helipads, exposing them to damage.

Mobarak Hossain Pintu, a representative of a clearing and forwarding agent -- Oxford Shipping Ltd, said he failed to take delivery of 14 consignments of goods weighing one tonne that were sent by expatriates living in different countries in the Middle East in the first week of August.

Expatriates usually send household items such as cosmetics, milk powder and soaps for their families back home through cargo flights to save money.

But the customs authorities have not been giving permission to discharge such cargoes since July without the presence of passengers to claim the goods, Pintu said.

Till Monday, the demurrage for over-staying of a consignment weighing around 400 kilogrammes stood at Tk 52,000, he added.

Cargoes can be kept free of cost at the warehouse for five days, and then the airport authorities charge rent.

Belal Hossain, an expatriate in Oman who came home in July, said his brother, who also lives in Oman, sent some cargoes on July 6, but he is yet to get them delivered. He feared the goods might have been damaged as the boxes are kept outdoors.

According to Tourist Baggage (import) Rules, a passenger on arrival needs to submit proper documents and fill in a form in case of bringing unaccompanied luggage containing household goods that are supposed to arrive separately through another passenger flight or a cargo flight.

However, expatriates have long been sending goods through cargo flights while C&F agents get delivery of the items on behalf of the senders, which is a breach of customs rules, said customs officials at the airport.

Hossain Ahmed, commissioner of Chittagong Custom House, said the rules were not followed strictly in the past in the interest of the expatriates.

But taking advantage of the lax monitoring, some people have been smuggling in goods for commercial purposes or contraband items, said the commissioner. Customs officials seized a good number of such items in the last few months, he added.

To prevent the malpractice, the customs authorities began strict monitoring in July and they are granting delivery of goods only after they receive required documents.

Amid the situation, Emirates Skycargo and Etihad Airways that operate two cargo flights each a week suspended several flights in August.

Emirates suspended eight out of nine scheduled flights, while Etihad suspended four out of nine flights last month, officials said.

On August 18, Sheikh Idris Ali, manager of Emirates Skycargo for Bangladesh, wrote to the airport authorities, requesting release of around 140 unit load devices such as pallets and containers that have remained stuck at the airport for over a month.

Airport Manager Wing Commander Nur-E-Alam have already sent separate letters to the commissioner of Chittagong Customs and chairman of Civil Aviation Authority requesting a solution to the problem.

Commissioner Ahmed said his office had asked the C&F agents to have the consignments cleared after submitting proper documents, but they have failed to do so.

The customs authorities may go for auctions of the cargoes to reduce the congestion, he said.