Port Strike in Bangladesh Causes Lingering Challenges Ahead of Ramadan
Intermittent strikes hit Bangladesh's Chittagong Port this month, impacting service. While the port workers have resumed their daily responsibilities, the lingering effects of last week's strike have already taken its toll on the port.
The strike, which began Feb. 4, came to a final end on Feb. 7 and reportedly occurred after transport workers faced attacks from security employees at DC Park in Faujdarhat, Sitakunda.
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A report from The Loadstar Wednesday stated that 18 ships have yet to berth, and that officials expect that backlog could take at least two weeks to clear. A Tuesday report from Container News noted that, as of Monday morning, 14 container ships had been waiting to come into port.
In addition to the ships yet to come into port, a pileup of cargo on land has begun. According to The Chittagong Port Authority, as of Tuesday, 37,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) have piled up in the port yard, as have other containers of various sizes.
The cargo—both stuck on unmoored ships and in port yards—has yet to be loaded onto ships that are scheduled to leave from Chittagong, only adding to the chaos. According to Container News, the New Mooring container Terminal and the Chittagong Container Terminal have hit 80 percent capacity because of the impacts of the strike.
Container News' report also noted that, as of earlier this week, at least six ships had to push their departure dates back, and left without several thousand containers. Container depots assigned to handle the outbound shipments have also become overwhelmed, contributing to the incoming ship pileup.
The backlog onslaught by the strike comes just ahead of Ramadan. According to Bangladeshi census data, more than 90 percent of the country's population is Muslim, and TGM Research data from 2023 shows that nearly 99 percent of those who identify as Muslim in Bangladesh celebrate Ramadan, which begins Feb. 28 and ends March 29.
During that month, Bangladeshi workers' hours are reduced significantly as compared with other operational periods throughout the year. That the religious holiday is just over two weeks away leaves little time for the already overwhelmed port to right itself and adjust back to normal scheduling.
Muntasir Rubayat, director of the Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association (BSAA), told The Loadstar that the strike threw a wrench into the port's typical operations, and that
'With Ramadan approaching and reduced working hours expected, delays may escalate if not addressed promptly. To ensure smooth operations before the Eid closure, it is imperative to clear the backlog within the next 15 days,' Rubayat reportedly said. 'All stakeholders, particularly importers, berth operators/terminal operators and off-docks, must adopt a proactive approach to mitigate the crisis.'
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