Chtg Port resumes operations

Chittagong: Activities at the Chittagong Port resumed Monday after the Awami League-led alliance withdrew its blockade that paralysed the ports and transport services across the country since Saturday.

The Chittagong Port Authority on Monday held an emergency meeting in a bid to break the stalemate in cargo handling and delivery immediately, port officials said.

The meeting decided to resume operational work at the country’s prime seaport by expediting the delivery of stockpiled containers which triggered severe space congestion leading to the suspension of unloading of cargo from ships from Sunday, they added.

The emergency meeting, chaired by the CPA chairman, Shahadat Hossain, was attended, among others, by the representatives from the army, the navy, customs house, trade bodies including Chittagong chamber, the BGMEA, shipping agents’ association and other port users, officials said.

‘In the meeting the consignees were specially requested through trade bodies to take delivery of their containers as quickly as possible for easing the space congestion,’ member (operation) of the CPA, Kamrul Hossain said.

‘We reviewed the overall congestion situation that crippled the port’s operational work and found no alternative to expediting delivery of stockpiled containers. The consignees must come forward to help break the stalemate,’ he said adding, ‘we also took a decision to ensure functioning of port on weekends to gear up operational work.’

Hartal and road blockades coupled with Eid holidays triggered the stalemate crippling the country’s main seaport, officials said.

Over 19,000 containers piled up at the port yards against their capacity to accommodate only 13,000 containers, port sources said.

Around 40 cargo ships fell stranded at Chittagong port jetties and at the outer anchorage following the deadlock, port sources added.

Meanwhile, port and shipping sources said that Singapore-based association of feeder ship operators, the Chittagong Feeder Trade Committee (CFTC), sent letters to the Chittagong Port Authority and trade bodies expressing concern over the ongoing stalemate here.

The CFTC also invited officials of the CPA and trade bodies to visit Singapore for holding a meeting over the crisis, they added.