Corona spread, dollar crisis in the country, Russia-Ukraine war and decrease in imports have affected the container handling of Chattogram port.
As a result, the port's container handling volume has declined by about 2.5 percent in the last year. With this, the dream of breaking the container handling record for the last seven years has stopped. However, the port officials claim that the port will return to its old form if the world situation normalizes.
The port was ranked 64th in the latest London-based Lloyd's List. Chattogram port was ranked 67th in the Lloyd's list in 2021.
Due to the ongoing dollar crisis, imports and exports have decreased, due to which commodity handling has decreased slightly. Chattogram port handled 31 lakh 42 thousand 504 TEUs of containers in 2022. Cargo handling has been 11 crore 96 lakh 65 thousand 682 tons. Chattogram port's ship handling volume will be 4 thousand 361 in 2022.
Chattogram Port made a new history in cargo handling in 2021. The port known as the golden gateway of the country's economy, has set a record for the highest number of container handles in 2021 after container handling began in 1977. The container handling at Chattogram port was 32 lakh 14 thousand 548 TEUs in 2021. There is no record of handling such a large number of containers in Chattogram port. Chattogram port handled 28 lakh 39 thousand 977 TEUs of containers in 2020. 3 lakh 74 thousand 571 TEUs more containers handled in 2021 than in 2020. Cargo handling in 2021 was 11 crore 66 lakh 19 thousand 158 tonnes.
Earlier in 2020 its amount was 10 crore 32 lakh 9 thousand 724 tons. While 3 thousand 728 vessels were handled in 2020, Chattogram Port's vessel handling volume in 2021 stood at 4 thousand 209. As a result, the growth in ship handling has also increased.
Chattogram Port Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said that the activities of the port were curtailed due to the corona epidemic in the world. But Chittagong port was working at its own pace. The port was not closed for a day during the lockdown. Port officials risked their lives. At the same time, port users contributed equally to this achievement. It is because of their spontaneous participation that the port has progressed so far today. A gantry crane has risen in the port. Yard space has increased. Equipment has been increased. Productivity has increased manifold. Once the Patenga Container Terminal is fully operational, the capacity of the port will increase several times.
Omar Faruq, Secretary of Chattogram Port, said, "The import-export has decreased slightly due to the global economic recession, the Russia-Ukraine war and the post-Corona effects. The country's dollar crunch and the impact of import bans on luxury goods have reduced imports. So container handling is also reduced. If the situation normalizes, the container handling at the port will increase. But cargo and ship handling is extra. Even during the Corona outbreak, the port activity was booming. After the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the port's container handling suffered a setback.
Importers could not open the expected import letters of credit (LC) after August 2022 due to dollar crunch, the port authority said. Government ban on import of luxury goods due to dollar crisis. These reasons have affected container handling. In the past years, Chattogram port has been breaking its own record in container handling one after another. Chattogram port, the only lifeblood of the country's economy, was ranked among the top 100 busiest ports in the world.