With consistent growth of container traffic through Chittagong seaport in last one decade, the container handling by the private inland container depots (ICDs) has marked a considerable rise in 2017. All the 18 private ICDs, known as extended operational entities of the port and located within 26-km radius of the port, are presently handling export-laden goods, outbound containers, import-laden goods, inbound containers and empty containers.
In 2017, a total of 631, 000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of export-laden containers were shipped out, of which 559, 938 TEUs (88 per cent) of containers were handled by the ICDs, according to the annual performance report of the ICD operators' Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) for the year 2017.
The report was prepared based on the information from Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and BICDA.
According to the report, the ICDs collectively handled 318, 393 TEUs of import-laden containers which constitute 25 per cent of the total import container volume through the port.
In the same year, the ICDs collectively handled 944, 330 TEUs of empty containers, making the total volume of containers handled by all ICDs at 1, 822, 661 TEUs.
So, the ICDs handled 72 per cent of the total containers that means 2, 566, 597 TEUs of containers moved through the port in 2017.
The export goods coming from factories across the country by trucks or covered vans get stuffed into the containers after completion of all the customs formalities in the cargo freight stations (CFS) of the ICDs while 37 items of import goods get delivered from the containers at the premises of the ICDs.
In addition, the ICDs work as storage facility for a huge volume of empty containers to facilitate export-import trade of the country.
According to the annual performance report, Esack Brothers handled the highest volume of export, import and empty containers during the year.
Retaining its top position in the last several years, Esack Brothers handled 67, 832 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of export containers, 35, 120 TEUs of import containers and 108, 736 TEUs of empty containers in 2017, making the total volume of containers handled by a single ICD at 211,638 TEUs.
Esack Brothers managing director Mohammed Younus said they have always been dedicated to providing their clients with quality services.
His ICD is the closest one to Chittagong port with a distance of less than one kilometre, giving them an extra advantage in maintaining short operational cycle.
"If there had been less traffic congestion on the roads coupled with less container congestion inside the Chittagong port, our operational productivity would have been considerably higher," he said.
He added that they have already made some expansion of the container yard to increase the operational capacity.
KDS Logistics secured the second position in container handling in 2017 by handling a total of 210,174 TEUs of containers - the volume of export containers, import containers and empty containers were 83,604 TEUs, 29,798 TEUs and 96,812 TEUs respectively.
Summit Alliance Port Limited (East and West) secured the third position by handling a total of 190, 213 TEUs. Incontrade Limited and Portlink Logistics Centre Limited secured the fourth and fifth position respectively by handling 178, 068 TEUs and 176, 897 TEUs of containers.
Considering the performance of a single company, Summit Group having three separate ICDs has topped the performance list by handling a total of 297, 000 TEUs of containers.
Captain Kamrul Islam Mazumder, Director of Summit Alliance Port Limited, said the top global garment buyers were giving priority to their ICD for containerisation of their goods while their ICDs were adding new services to cater to the requirement of their clients.
The port had stopped handling export goods in 2006 and since then the private ICDs have been handling around 95 per cent of the export goods through the port.
The rest of export goods are handled at the EPZs (export processing zones), Kamalapur ICD in Dhaka and Pangaon Container Terminal.
The private ICDs started their journey in 1995 with handling of empty containers only.
Currently, the 18 private ICDs built on a total area of 268.26 acres of land, have invested around Tk 42 billion and employed around 23,000 of workforce.
Mohammed Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of BICDA, said the ICDs have become indispensable entities of the port.
For consistent growth and development of this sector, the government should provide incentives by all means that will help boost trade and business as well as the national economy, he added.
