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Ctg port unfazed by political turmoil

Dwaipayan Barua
The countrywide non-stop blockade and several shutdowns since January 5 have so far had little impact on the activities of the Chittagong port, as loading, unloading and delivery of export and import goods went on as usual.
So far, the port has faced no container congestion or disruption in departure schedule, a marked contrast to the scenario that prevailed during the last political unrest towards the middle of fiscal 2013-14, port officials said.
"This spell of political upheaval has had no impact on port activities," Nizamuddin Ahmed, chairman of Chittagong Port Authority, said.
During January 6 to January 31, 128,898 TEUs (twenty feet equivalent units) — 64,100 TEUs of import and 64,798 TEUs of export - were handled at the port, according to data from CPA.
In January, a total of 150,831 TEUs of export and import containers were cleared against 149,483 TEUs the previous month.
The efforts of port users, officials and,
more importantly, transporters, who operated despite risk of arson, as well as the security measures on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway by law enforcers, helped keep port operations smooth.
So much that on January 19, a record 5,920 vehicles plied to and from the port. In times of political calm, 4,000-5,000 vehicles enter and exit the port.
In normal times, the port cleared 2,000 to 3,000 TEUs of import containers a day, with the number slumping 70-80 percent during shutdowns in previous years.
But in the last 26 days of January, when the political turmoil was in full swing, the average delivery of import containers stood at 2,300 TEUs a day. In contrast, in the first five days of the month, when the political unrest was starting to brew, 1,732 TEUs were dispatched a day.
The clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents, who clear the consignments from the port on behalf of the importers, said cargoes could be delivered to different parts of the country on the most part.
Kaji Mahmud Imam Bilu, proprietor of CFS Services, a C&F agent, said many transport firms are taking risks and delivering the goods as they have loan servicing to attend to.
So far, there were around 38 incidents of attacks on vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
There is a strong demand from importers for timely delivery of goods, he said.
But Mahbubul Alam, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the port situation could take the turn for the worse if the blockade lingers.