DWAIPAYAN BARUA, Ctg

The stalemate in import and export activities through the Chattogram port is set to deepen further as workers called for a 24-hour strike starting at 8:00am today to protest the government’s decision to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to UAE-based operator DP World.

This comes after the workers observed an eight-hour work abstention in the last three days, which halted all types of operations.

Humayun Kabir, coordinator of Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad, said they vowed to wage a tougher movement if the government does not cancel its plan to lease out the NCT.

Meanwhile, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) until Sunday issued orders transferring 16 port employees, including two key coordinators of the movement, to Pangaon ICT and Kamalapur ICD. None of them complied with the order.

The CPA yesterday issued another order directing the transfer of 15 of these employees to Mongla and Payra ports.

The port yards and ICDs have already started facing a pile-up of containers, while export shipments have begun missing schedules, forcing shipping lines to incur additional fees.

Such disruption may affect commodity prices ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, said port users.

The port usually delivers on average 4,000 TEUs of import containers per day, while daily delivery dropped to 1,700 TEUs in the last two days until yesterday morning, according to CPA data.

As a result, more than 5,000 TEUs of import containers have piled up at the port.

Congestion at the inland container depots has already reached an acute level and it might take one to two weeks to clear the piled-up containers, said Md Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association.

Vessels have already started facing prolonged stays at the jetties due to disruptions in loading and unloading operations.

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