Recent news from the international logistics market is that Bangladesh's customs system has been experiencing ongoing technical failures for nearly two weeks. This problem has led to an increase in the accumulation of cargo in the country's ports and worsening congestion in the ports.
According to local customs officials, the customs system currently operates normally for only 10 to 15 minutes every two hours, seriously delaying the efficiency of customs clearance of imported and exported goods. It is worth noting that similar problems occurred last September when the system's software was upgraded, resulting in customs staff, clearance agents and freight forwarders being unable to use the system properly.
To add insult to injury, Chittagong port has been facing multiple challenges in the recent past, including disruptions in port operations due to bad weather, which has prevented feeder vessels from receiving cargo from mainline vessels as normal, and a significant drop in the efficiency of container yard operations.
In addition, factors such as the extended Eid holiday and the work adjustment of customs officers further aggravated the congestion at the berths and container yards of Chittagong port, and the port operations are under unprecedented pressure.
A recent alert issued by leading international logistics company De** pointed out that the serious congestion problem at Chittagong port along with the monsoon weather is affecting normal port operations.
The average delay in berthing ships currently amounts to six to eight days. As a result of extended unloading operations, export cargo handling capacity has been restricted, leading to severe yard congestion. To effectively manage yard utilization, the port has imposed restrictions on export pre-stacking of empty and full containers. At the same time, labor shortages and equipment breakdown issues have further reduced overall port productivity.
According to Vi**.com's Port Congestion Early Warning System monitoring data, Chittagong port is currently heavily congested, with the average waiting time for ships over the past week at around 5.28 days, with some ships waiting for as long as eight days. The onset of the monsoon season has exacerbated this operational predicament.
We would like to remind that enterprises and cargo owners who plan to export goods to Bangladesh in the near future should pay close attention to the latest port dynamics and make reasonable arrangements for shipment plans to avoid unnecessary losses caused by port congestion.
If you need more logistics information or professional transportation services, welcome to contact Xindashun International Logistics (Shenzhen) Co.
Author: Kim
Tel: 13556688899
Address: 21B03, Jazz Mansion, No. 4018, Guinbin Road, Heping Community, Nanhu Street, Luohu District, Shenzhen, China