The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) asked 18 private container depots on Friday to shift loaded containers from the port yards to the depots immediately to avoid congestion at the port.
Insiders said the performance of the Chittagong Port suffered during the lockdown, as many importers took time to receive their goods on the grounds of poor demand of essential commodities and closure of factories.
Such slow delivery created congestion at the port, hurting its activities.
Subsequently, the CPA wrote to the 18 depots, asking to take the loaded containers to the depots to smoothen the port's activities amid the ongoing lockdown.
The strict lockdown, enforced from Thursday, waived the port's activities, considering its importance for the economy and the people. Movement of trucks to and from the port was also allowed.
"We've stored nearly 3,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of loaded containers at the port yards as of Friday," said one senior official at the CPA traffic department.
More than 2,000 TEUs would be grounded within the next couple of days.
The port official noted that such containers were causing a space crisis at the port yards, and were needed to be transferred to the depots immediately.
In the meantime, one representative of the depots told the FE that the data provided by the CPA was "confusing".
Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary at the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), told the FE: "We have usual space to store and deliver containers as of Thursday."
He also said they brought loaded containers each day. "We daily bring 800 TEUs of containers on an average from the port yards".
Private container depots handle cent per cent exports and 25 per cent of total imports.
As of July 01, the volume of import-laden container lying was 34,038 TEUs against the capacity of 49,018 TEUs.
The Chittagong Port surpassed its previous records by handling more than 3.0 million containers in the 2020-21 fiscal year.
Our Correspondent adds: Despite clamping of the coronavirus-induced nationwide stricter lockdown from July 01, operational activities at Chittagong Sea Port remained normal in the last couple of days.
All employees, staff, and workers of the country's prime seaport have been rendering services round the clock amid the pandemic to keep export-import activities, as usual, the supply chain free from disruption and the country's economic wheel moving.
Officials at the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) said the port is continuing its operation 24 hours to ensure that the supply chain in the country is not hampered during the hard lockdown.
They said loading and unloading of containers and cargoes from vessels, and shipments were quite normal on July 1 and July 2 after the hard lockdown went into force on Thursday morning.
Officials and staff of the CPA are working hard day and night following health guidelines, they said, adding the Chittagong Customs House is also continuing its work normally. "The CCH is clearing containers and cargoes timely, ensuring delivery of goods within the scheduled time," they informed.
CPA Secretary Mr. Omar Faruk said, "Officials and staff are discharging their duties by strictly maintaining social distancing and other health rules during the ongoing lockdown."
"We have taken all preparation to continue the operational activities during the fresh restriction and all work is going on as per the plan," he added.
However, sources said, working round the clock amid the surging Covid-19 infection countrywide causing some worries among the CPA employees.
Expressing concern at the rate of spread of the contagious disease, some employees and staff, preferring anonymity, said they were discharging duties putting their lives at high risk amid the pandemic.
They also said the CPA was worried for their workers as they were working non-stop amid the risk of contracting coronavirus. "The employees are continuing non-stop work even on government holidays," they added.
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