Ctg port may see a drop in container traffic in 2022

The Chittagong port may see negative growth in container handling throughput in 2022 compared to the last year due to the slowdown in Bangladesh’s international trade, media reported.

The gradual slowdown in foreign trade amidst global economic downtrends may cause a fall in container traffic, said the insiders.

Though following the decline in two consecutive months in September and October, container handling by the port ticked up in November, the annual figure at the end of the year may remain below that of 2021.

According to data from the traffic department of the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA), the port handled 32,14,448 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers in 2021, up from 28,39,977 TEUs in 2020, posting a year-on-year growth of 13.19%.

In the 11 months to November, container handling by various facilities of the port totaled 29,03,116 TEUs.

The CPA has compiled the data on container handling by taking into account the number of import, export and empty boxes loaded and unloaded at the main jetties of the port, the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj, the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Dhaka, and 19 private ICDs in Chattogram.

On average, 263,919 TEUs of containers were handled each month this year.

Monthly container handling decreased by 8.6% and 3.6% in September and October, but it grew by 3% in November, media reported citing CPA Secretary Md Omar Faruk.

Garment factories in Bangladesh have brought down production due to decreased export orders. The import of raw materials by these factories also went down

Nasir Uddin Chowdhury a former first vice-president of BGMEA told the media that the port may see a decline in the overall throughput of containers this year.

Speaking to the media, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mahbubul Alam said imports fell in the last few months due to the government’s restriction on the import of luxury items and the higher price of commodities in the global market.

Port users think that the port’s position may slip in the global ranking of the busiest container ports due to the reduction in container throughput.

The port experienced a negative growth in container handling in 2020 because of the slide in container traffic mainly for global supply chain disruption amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

It rebounded last year, clocking the highest growth.