32 lakh tonnes of goods stranded at Ctg port

Unloading of imported bulk cargo from the outer anchorage of Chattogram port and different private jetties (ghats) across the country, as well as transport of previously-unloaded goods by lighter vessels through inland water routes remained suspended since early hours of yesterday, due to a wildcat work abstention enforced by a section of water transport workers.   

The strike, however, was called off last night.

Yesterday, around 1,343 cargo vessels from across the country, including 57 large mother vessels at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port remained stranded with some 32 lakh tonnes of imported goods.

The goods include coal, stone, industrial raw materials like cement clinker, slag, fertiliser and different commodities.

Import goods brought by large vessels are usually unloaded to lighter ones at the outer anchorage of Chattogram port, and then transported to 37 private ghats and several other jetties, owned by industrial plants across the country.

According to Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), unloading of around 13.63 lakh tonnes of imported cargo from 57 mother vessels, anchored at the premier sea port’s outer anchorage, remained stopped since midnight, immediately after lighter vessel workers stopped operating the vessels in support of the strike.

Transport and unloading of another 12.89 lakh tonnes of imported goods loaded at 986 lighter vessels, which are now staying at 37 different ghats at destinations including Majhirghat at Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mirpur, Khulna, Noapara, Baghabari, Barishal, Patuakhali and other areas came to a halt since midnight due to non-operation of the vessels, according to the data collected from Water Transport Cell (WTC), a private organisation that controls a big fraction of these lighter vessels.

Apart from these, around 5.40 lakh tonnes of industrial raw materials remained stuck at around 300 lighter vessels, owned and operated by 11 industrial groups like Meghna, City, S Alam, Premier cement and others.

Expressing concern over the stagnation of goods, Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Mahbubul Alam said importers would have to bear huge financial losses as they would have to count demurrage for overstay of the lighter vessels and mother vessels.

Besides, there is a risk of damage of the goods for not being unloaded timely, said Alam adding that the delay would also hamper the supply chain of transport as well as production at the industries.

Abul Bashar Chowdhury, chairman of leading port-city based commodity importer BSM Group, said 15 lighter vessels containing their goods were stuck at jetties across the country, and they had to pay Tk 25,000 per lighter vessel for one day’s overstay till yesterday.

Biswajit Saha, director of Dhaka-based importer City Group, said a mother vessel containing raw sugar imported by them was stuck at the outer anchorage, and for one day’s overstay they had to pay around US $15,000.

On an average, for one day’s overstay of a mother vessel, an importer has to pay $12,000, while for lighter vessels the amount is Tk 20,000. Considering this, importers had to incur demurrage of over Tk 8 crore for the halted vessels.

Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Md Omar Faruk said delivery of imported goods from bigger vessels at the port’s outer anchorage remained stopped.

He, however, informed that loading and unloading of goods and containers from vessels inside the port jetties as well as delivery of goods from port yards were going on normally.