CHATTOGRAM, Jan 2: The Chattogram Port, prime sea port of the country, has set a new record in container handling in the year 2024, said Muhammad Omar Faruk, Secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority.
He said the Chattogram Port had successfully handled nearly 3.3 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the past calendar year.
The figure breaks the company's previous record of 31.68 million TEUs in 2023.
Besides, the Chattogram Port handled a total of 3,168,690 TEUs during the financial year of 2023-24, marking a 5.36 per cent growth by 161,346 TEUs more than the previous FY of 2022-23. During the same period, cargo handling increased by 18.1 per cent while ship handling dropped, according to latest data.
In FY2022-23, container handling at the port was 30,07,344 TEUs.
Cargo handling increased to 123,242,748 tonnes in FY24 at Chattogram Port, which was 118,297,643 tonnes in FY23. That means cargo handling by the port increased by 4,945,105 tonnes in one year, which is a 4.18 per cent growth.
Meanwhile, in the financial year 2022-23, container handling at the port was 3,007,344 TEUs.
According to Chittagong Port Authority sources, about 92 per cent of the country's import and export trade activities are carried out through the port. Industrial raw materials, capital machinery and commercial goods are all brought in containers through this port. Almost all of the export products by sea are also sent in containers.
Cargo handling increased to 123,242,748 tonnes in FY24 at Chattogram Port, which was 118,297,643 tonnes in FY23. That means cargo handling by the port increased by 4,945,105 tonnes in one year, which is a 4.18 per cent growth.
On the other hand, the arrival of ships at the port has dropped. In FY24, 3,971 ships arrived with cargo and container. It was 4,253 in FY23, which means ship handling fell by 282 in a year.
Importers and port users said since mid-2022, the Russia-Ukraine war and the dollar crisis have reduced the import of goods, and in 2023, Bangladesh Bank was in a stricter position to control imports throughout the year.
These led to reduced imports and exports of the country in FY23. As a result, the port's container handling has dropped.
CPA Secretary said the milestone highlights 'the company's continued growth and operational excellence.'
He also cited that Chattogram Port entered the 'three million club' in 2019 by handling around 30.88 lakh TEUs.
But in the following years, the progress was hampered due to covid, he lamented.
"The port now handles an average of 7,000 to 8,000 TEUs of container daily," Faruk claimed. "Despite global crises and natural disasters, the achievement is attributed to efficient port management, cooperation among stakeholders and growth in import-export trade," CPA Secretary added.
