Mongla Port saw a 36.78 % drop in container handling

Total containers handled fell to 12,083 TEUs from 19,112 TEUs

Revenue decreased slightly to Tk 181.61 cr

JAGARAN CHAKMA

Mongla port, the second largest seaport in Bangladesh, witnessed a sharp decline in container handling throughout the first seven months of the current fiscal year (FY), with growing economic constraints eroding business activities in the country.

Official data shows that the seaport handled around 12,083 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in the July-January period of FY25, down 36.78 percent year-on-year.

The decline was worst in January, when container handling receded by 42.02 percent year-on-year to 1,697 TEUs, reflecting lower imports amid a sluggish domestic economy.

Khayrul Bashar, CEO of local cargo service provider Fleet Freight, said the decline in container handling is a result of the country’s slowing industrial output.

He said local businesses are being cautious about foreign purchases amid the ongoing currency volatility and rising inflation, resulting in lower shipments of industrial raw materials and other key imports.

“Many businesses are cutting back on imports due to rising costs and tighter financial conditions,” Bashar added while citing reduced shipments of bulk cargo and consumer goods through Mongla port.

He further said that this reflects the country’s broader economic slowdown as lower imports of industrial inputs and intermediate goods is affecting the import-reliant industries.

Bashar also informed that just 250 of roughly 700 clearing and forwarding agents enlisted by the port are currently active.

“Higher import costs and lower industrial demand contributed to this decline,” he said while highlighting challenges faced by the port in attracting major shipping lines and handling higher trade volumes.

AKM Anisur Rahman, member (engineering and development) of Mongla Port Authority, said container handling has fallen compared to previous levels because of economic challenges both home and abroad, including disruptions to the global supply chain.