The student protests and the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led government have brought Bangladesh's import and export activities to a standstill, with an unusual number of export goods-laden containers stuck in depots for the past few days.
Ruhul Amin Shikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), reported that 15,151 TEU containers filled with export goods are awaiting shipment in 19 off-dock private depots. The unrest in the country has disrupted normal container shipping operations for the past two weeks.
Import goods-laden containers are also stuck due to slower unloading caused by the instability. Shikder noted that it will take some time to resolve the crisis but emphasized that the backlog could be reduced swiftly if measures are taken to expedite the unloading of all import goods through off-dock facilities.
According to BICDA statistics, there are currently 15,151 TEU export containers and 8,713 TEU import containers in the country’s 19 off-dock depots.
MDIH/MSU/NMA