Update on Shipping Operations in Bangladesh Amid Recent Curfews

26 Jul Update on Shipping Operations in Bangladesh Amid Recent Curfews

Work and Local Environment Update

The curfew in Bangladesh was lifted, and internet connections were re-established. While LAN connections are stable, allowing offices to operate, social media channels remain restricted. The curfew will be reimposed in Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Narsingdi from 5 PM today until 10 AM tomorrow. The government has also requested other major districts to impose curfew hours based on their needs, with timings yet to be announced.

In line with the government’s request, Carrie’s offices resumed operations at 11 AM and will continue working until 3 PM. The Chittagong port office will operate until 4 PM and may stay open longer to handle the backlog of Import General Manifests (IGM), Delivery Orders (DO), and counter activities. A significant rush has been observed at the Chittagong counter for DO collections.

Port Outlook

The Chittagong port container yard (CY) remains congested due to no import deliveries over the last 5-6 days. The CY has a capacity of 34,000 TEUs, but currently, there are 50,000 TEUs on the ground. The port manually extended DOs yesterday and this morning. With the internet back, they are now able to release more DOs. The port expects import deliveries to start this evening, which should help alleviate CY congestion.

Strong inbound volumes are expected over the next 2-3 weeks, leading to continued port congestion for at least this period. Geared vessels are expected to face 1-2 days of congestion, while gearless vessels may experience 3-4 days.