About 21 lakh tonnes of consumer goods are currently waiting to be unloaded from 46 ships anchored at the outer area of Chattogram Port, as limited warehouse space and high demand for lighter ships slow down operations.
Businessmen have noted a slowdown in unloading imported consumer goods ahead of the Ramadan season. At present, the 46 ships at the outer anchorage carry a total of 23.46 lakh tonnes of goods. As of Thursday morning, 11 lakh tonnes have been unloaded, leaving roughly 12 lakh tonnes still waiting.
In addition, 25 ships carrying 13.5 lakh tonnes of wheat have arrived, with six lakh tonnes already unloaded. Seven ships brought in 2.36 lakh tonnes of chickpeas, lentils and peas, of which 1.50 lakh tonnes have been unloaded. Nine ships carrying 4.39 lakh tonnes of oilseeds have seen three lakh tonnes unloaded so far.
Chattogram Port officials said that on average, 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of consumer goods are transferred daily from large ships to lighter ships, which then deliver the goods to different wharves for unloading. However, the shortage of warehouses among many companies is causing delays.
The Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell (WTCC) reported that 265 lighter ships have been stranded at various wharves across the country for about one and a half months, including 122 carrying consumer goods.
Mejbah Uddin, manager of MST Marine Enterprise, said importers are struggling to unload goods promptly due to insufficient storage facilities. The number of lighter ships in use has also decreased from around 1,200 to 1,022, further slowing operations.
