Nineteen privately operated inland container depots (ICDs) in Chattogram have postponed a planned suspension of export cargo- and empty-container handling that was due to begin on Thursday, easing immediate concerns over potential disruption to the country's export supply chain.
The ICDs play a critical role in Bangladesh's trade logistics, handling nearly all export shipments, except air freight, by stuffing goods into containers before they are transferred to Chattogram Port for loading onto vessels.
They also manage empty containers, which are essential for sustaining the import-export cycle.
The decision to defer the shutdown followed assurances from the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) that the depots' concerns would be reviewed, averting what industry groups had warned could trigger severe congestion at the port and delays across export-oriented sectors.
Earlier, industry groups warned that the suspension, if implemented, would have severely disrupted export supply chains and placed additional strain on operations at Chattogram Port.
"We have withdrawn our decision to halt export and empty container handling after the port chairman assured us that our demands would be considered," said Ruhul Amin Biplob, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA).
He said the withdrawal would remain in effect for one month.
The depots had earlier announced that they would stop handling export cargo and empty containers from Thursday, citing their inability to cover rising operating costs.
Each depot had notified its customers that export consignments and empty containers would no longer be processed from December 11.
ICD operators said they have been unable to enforce a previously announced increase in service charges, which they argue is essential to maintain financial viability.
Bangladesh currently has 19 privately run ICDs, which effectively operate as extensions of Chattogram Port under private initiatives.
While the port's container yard has a storage capacity of around 60,000 TEUs, the private depots together can handle about 160,000 TEUs - nearly double the port's capacity.
Private ICDs handle approximately 2.2 million containers each year. All export shipments are containerised at these facilities before being sent to the port, while empty containers generated after the discharge of import cargo are transferred from the port to the ICDs for further handling.
BICDA raised service charges at the 19 depots from September 1, increasing them by an average of 50 per cent. The services affected include storage, container movement and stuffing.
The increase was strongly opposed by traders and industrialists, who argued that the association had imposed the higher tariffs unilaterally without approval from the Tariff Committee under the CPA.
The dispute subsequently moved to court, preventing BICDA from enforcing the revised charges.
jasimharoon@yahoo.com