
25 Jul Bangladesh Cargo Flows Resume Amid Internet Restoration and Curfew Adjustments
Bangladesh’s import and export activities have resumed following the government’s restoration of limited internet connections for key services, including airports, emergency services, hospitals, and port operators. This partial restoration comes after a significant disruption caused by internet outages last Thursday and a curfew enforced on Saturday due to student protests over job quota reforms.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, reported that depots had 5,000 TEU of laden containers ready for shipment. “Today, we are sending and bringing containers from the port,” he said, although customs entries were still affected by the internet outage, delaying the shipment of 8,000 to 10,000 TEU of export containers.
Chittagong Port Authority spokesperson Omar Faruk confirmed that customs procedures restarted last night with the restored internet, processing 2,500 TEU by this morning and expecting to reach 3,500 TEU by tomorrow. Currently, a dozen containerships are waiting at the outer anchorage of the port.
On the air cargo front, Dhaka Airport’s cargo village is congested, with Nasir Ahmed Khan, VP of the Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association, estimating that 3,000 to 3,500 tonnes of cargo were delayed during the outages. He noted that clearing the backlog could take more than a week, depending on the return to normal operations.
The government has announced that the partial curfew will remain indefinitely, with internet access restricted to offices, and all social media channels blocked. The curfew is lifted between 10 am and 5 pm, allowing offices to operate from 11 am to 3 pm.
A customer update from Ligi Logistics indicated potential blockages at Dhaka Airport due to reduced internet access affecting customs documentation. Despite some garment factories in Dhaka reopening, many are expected to remain closed until the situation stabilizes.