Kamalapur-bound containers can be delivered from Pangaon

In a bid to clear a pile-up of containers, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has approved the delivery of import-laden containers bound for the Dhaka inland container depot (ICD) to consignees from the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal (ICT) in Keraniganj.

Such containers will be delivered from the Chattogram port yard as well, a decision welcomed by businesses.

Import containers destined for the Kamalapur ICD in Dhaka have been piling up at the Chattogram Goods Port Yard (CGPY) as a shortage of locomotives led to slow transportation over railways.

At a tripartite emergency meeting on Tuesday, Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) requested Custom House Chattogram to allow the transfer of these containers to the Pangaon ICT via river route for duty assessment and delivery to consignees.

Such containers would also be delivered from the CGPY, the CPA said.

The NBR approved the request on Wednesday evening. The NBR sent a directive in this regard, signed by Second Secretary (Customs Policy) Mokitul Hasan.

Typically, imported cargo is delivered to recipients from the destination mentioned in import documents.

Confirming the development, CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk said the permission was granted for two years under several conditions.

According to the directive, clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents must submit a list of Dhaka-bound import containers to respective shipping lines for transportation to Pangaon ICT.

A copy of the list must be shared with the respective customs commissioner for facilitation.

The transportation must strictly be along the river route and the Pangaon ICT authority will handle duty assessment and examination of import consignments within the terminal before delivery to consignees.

The Pangaon ICT authority will also be responsible for ensuring the security of the consignments until delivery to consignees.

For over a month, the railway authorities have been running only one or two freight trains daily to carry the Dhaka-bound containers from the port whereas port authorities say they require at least four trains daily.

This has led to a pileup of over 1,800 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of Dhaka-bound containers at the CGPY, far exceeding the allotted capacity of 876 TEUs.

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Mohammad Hatem welcomed the NBR's decision, saying it would widen options for businesses to get their imports.

He said business leaders in Dhaka recently met with the NBR officials, who assured them of expediting the release of cargo from the Pangaon ICT as well as regular vessel movement between the ICT and Chattogram port.

Vessels have been plying the route between the ICT and Chattogram port once a week or even longer due to a low volume of containers for a long time. However, vessel operators, , said they would increase the frequency if there were enough containers to carry.

According to clearing and forwarding agents in Dhaka, it currently takes three to four days to get import consignments released from both the Kamalapur ICD and Pangaon ICT.

A number of containers loaded with consumer items imported ahead of Ramadan have been lying at the CGPY for over 20 days now, said Md Faruk Alam, general secretary of the Dhaka Customs Agents Association.

He said the challenge of taking delivery of Kamalapur ICD-bound containers from the Pangaon ICT was that it required changing the destination in the import general manifest (IGM), which is a time-consuming proces.

Moreover, importers have to bear extra costs as vessel freight charges are higher than that for railway freight, he said.

BKMEA leader Hatem, however, said since there is the option, importers could take their deliveries from the Chattogram port instead of Pangaon.