Ctg port container handling up for imports, down for exports in September
In comparison to September 2022, import container handling increased by 5,012 TEUs this year. However, the volume of exports this year was 6,034 TEUs lower than the same period last year
Import container handling through the Chattogram port increased in September compared to the previous month, while export handling declined, according to the port's monthly data.
Compared to August, some 1,430 more TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import cargo containers were handled at the Chattogram port.
Whereas, the export container handling decreased by 7,692 TEUs during the same period.
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According to the Chattogram port data, around 1,06,505 TEUs of import cargo containers and 57,769 TEUs of export cargo containers were handled in September.
In August, a total of 1,05,075 TEUs for import and 65,461 TEUs for export cargo containers were handled in the port.
Traders and port officials said due to the economic slowdown stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation with imports and exports has yet to normalise.
Mentioning that while imports are rising, exports are dropping since January this year, the officials said the global factors in turn have reduced the volume of containers handled at the port.
In September this year, import container handling increased by 5,012 TEUs, compared to the corresponding month of 2022, while the volume of exports dropped by 6,034 TEUs.
Abdullah Jahir, deputy county manager of the PSA Marine Bangladesh, told The Business Standard that foreign buyers' demand for ready-made garments has dropped due to the global economic crises. "Because of this basically, the import and export container handling is not yet normal. The restrictions on the opening of LCs have now been somewhat relaxed as the dollar crisis has eased," he added.
The Chattogram port handles around 30-32 lakh TEUs of containers every year. The port's position dropped from the 64th place to the 67th in the Lloyd's List of ports published in July as container handling at the port decreased in 2022 compared to the previous year.
Earlier in September, import and export container handling declined by about 15.4% in the eight months from January to August 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year, according to Chattogram port data.
Over 8.11 lakh TEUs of import cargo containers were handled at the port from January to August this year, while around 9.56 lakh TEUs were handled during the same period of the previous year.
The volume of import containers handled at the port dropped by 15.20% or around 1.45 TEUs in the first eight months of 2023 compared to the corresponding period in 2022.
