Chittagong Port: Deadlock persists, export containers pile up at depots

Operational paralysis at Chittagong Port shows no sign of easing as a work stoppage by workers and employees continues, with direct repercussions now being felt in the export sector.

Disruptions to port operations have led to a rapid build-up of export-laden containers at private inland container depots, raising serious concerns among stakeholders.

It is apprehended that the situation is to worsen further following the announcement of a fresh 24-hour work stoppage starting at 8:00 am today, Tuesday.

Workers and employees have been observing daily eight-hour work stoppages since Saturday in protest against the decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to DP World, a port operator based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The programme is being carried out under the banner of the Chattogram Bandar Rakkha Sangram Parishad (Chittagong Port Protection Struggle Council).

While cargo handling and container loading and unloading at the port normally continue round the clock, the daily suspension of operations for eight hours has begun to significantly affect export activities.

Private inland container depots in Chattogram handle export containers shipped through the port. Once all formalities are completed, export containers are transported from these depots to the port for loading onto vessels.

Before the work stoppage began, around 8,000 export containers were awaiting shipment at the depots. By Monday afternoon, that figure had exceeded 10,000—meaning more than 2,000 additional export containers had accumulated in just three days.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Private Inland Container Depot Association, said the situation had not yet escalated into a major crisis as the number of vessels calling at the port had been relatively low.

He, however, warned that if the work stoppage continues, export operations will face serious disruption from today onwards.

“If a 24-hour work stoppage is observed, export containers will not be able to move from the depots to the port. As a result, vessels will be unable to leave the jetty on schedule,” he said.

The process of handing over the New Mooring Container Terminal to DP World under a government-to-government framework within a public–private partnership (PPP) model began during the tenure of the Awami League government.

After the interim government took office and moved the process forward, workers and employees launched protests.

Negotiation is one of the final major steps before signing the terminal’s concession agreement. If the terminal is leased to DP World, the company will collect all port charges. The ongoing negotiations focus on how many dollars per container DP World will pay to the port authority.

Once negotiations are finalised, the proposal will require a series of approvals before being placed before the advisory committee on economic affairs. Following the committee’s recommendation and further approvals, a Letter of Award would be issued to DP World, after which the formal agreement would be signed.

However, according to the latest information, negotiations have not yet been concluded, meaning there is currently no scope for signing the agreement.

When journalists asked shipping adviser M Sakhawat Hossain about the NCT agreement at the secretariat on Monday, he said, “So far, we haven’t reached a final stage on this matter. We are not doing anything against national interests. If the agreement is favourable, it will proceed; if not, it won’t.”

The Bangladesh Nationalist Port Workers’ union had announced work stoppages from Thursday demanding the cancellation of the NCT leasing decision.

In response, the port authority issued a series of transfer orders on Saturday and Sunday, posting protesting employees to various port offices in Dhaka. The employees did not comply with those transfer orders.

Amid the escalating standoff, the Ministry of Shipping on Monday issued further transfer orders, reassigning 15 employees, including movement coordinators, to Payra and Mongla ports.

In response to these countermeasures by the port authority and the ministry, protesters sought to broaden the movement by dropping the banner of the Bangladesh Nationalist Port Workers’ union and announcing programmes under the name of the Chittagong Port Protection Struggle Council.

At a press conference in front of the port building yesterday afternoon, the council’s coordinator, Ibrahim Khokon, announced a 24-hour work stoppage beginning at 8:00 am today.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Ibrahim Khokon said the transfer orders were being issued one after another solely to suppress the movement.

“If the decision to lease the NCT is not withdrawn and the transfer orders are not cancelled, we will announce even tougher programmes,” he warned.

Meanwhile, workers and employees disrupted a berthing meeting held on the ground floor of the port building on Monday morning. The meeting was scheduled to announce vessel arrivals to shipping agents.

Later in the afternoon, the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) brought out a black-flag procession and held a rally at Agrabad intersection in the city, reiterating their demand for the cancellation of the decision to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal.