Empty containers affecting Ctg port operation

Jasim Uddin Haroon | Published: February 26, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Jasim Uddin Haroon
The operation of the country's premier seaport is being seriously affected by a large number of empty containers now lying at different terminals. Senior officials of Chittagong Port said they have already served notices on the main line operators (MLOs) and shipping agencies asking them to remove empty containers that have been lying at the terminals for long. As of Friday, nearly 4,700 empty containers remained at different termi nals against their capacity of 4,545 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). Terminal manager Enamul Karim told the FE: "We have never seen such a huge number of empty containers at the port yards. The number of empty containers was more than 5,000 two days back." But the port users alleged that Chittagong Port has shortage of adequate equipment to handle containers skillfully. "This is not our fault. This is fully the port's failure, for which a huge number of empty containers are lying there," said a senior official of Maersk. Mr Enam said the port authority will impose penalty for those empty containers after expiry of two weeks' deadline, beginning from February 25. Currently, MLOs or shipping agents pay US$ 6.0 per day for a box, and they will have to pay $12 as penalty after expiry of the deadline. Director (traffic) Golam Sarwar said empty containers are creating congestion at the port and reducing its efficiency. Port analysts said many MLOs are not sending their empty containers to the private inland depots to reduce expenses, leading to stockpile of containers in the port. Besides, they also said the number of handled containers has significantly increased in Chittagong Port, which, in turn has increased the number of empty containers. According to official statistics, the port handled nearly 81,000 containers during the first 20 days of February, marking a 16 per cent rise over the same period in February 2010. Each day around 1,500 empty containers are being added to the previous number of empty containers in the port. Officials at the private inland containers depots said many MLOs are not sending containers to them, following a dispute over the new rents, announced by the private off-dock association. "We are expecting that the MLOs will sign agreements with us and start sending empty containers to our depots," said an official of Essack and Brothers.