The economic slowdown, both domestically and globally, has led to a decline in Bangladeshs export-import trade, exerting pressure on the operations of private inland container depots (ICDs).
In 2023, data from the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) revealed an 11.07 per cent year-on-year decrease in the handling of containers containing export goods, reports Apparel Resources.
Amidst these challenges, BICDA reported a notable decrease in the monthly revenue of private ICDs, dropping from the usual Taka 130 crore to Taka 90-91 crore.
This represents a substantial 30 per cent decline in income due to reduced business activities.
Imran Fahim Noor, Managing Director of Vertex Off-Dock Logistic Services Limited, highlighted the multifaceted challenges faced by the industry, including escalating oil prices, a surging dollar, and a decrease in trade volume. The ICD business has witnessed a decline of approximately 25-30 per cent, and the timeline for a rebound remains uncertain.
Seaborne exports, crucially loaded into containers at private ICDs before boarding ships, have experienced a decrease, with the depots handling 661,152 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export cargo containers in the previous year, down from 743,761 TEUs in 2022.
Chittagong, home to 19 private inland container depots, handles nearly 95 per cent of seaborne export goods and 38 types of import goods. Post-unloading at the port, these goods are transported to ICDs, constituting approximately 23 per cent of the total container-imported goods via the Chittagong Port.
