Exporting hydrogen per-oxide has again become suspended from Bangladesh after the customs authority put on a restriction on the lone depot that was handling the chemical export.
Export of the item was first suspended in April 2022 when a fire broke out in the BM Container depot that killed 49 people and injured several hundred. Following the incident, the PSA Singapore on 9 June imposed a restriction on carrying hydrogen per-oxide through the port that also barred exporting the chemical from Bangladesh.
Following PSA’s restriction, no ship liners were agreeing to carry hydrogen per-oxide thus export remained suspended for two months. The export was resumed again on 10 August as the PSA revoked the notice in June where it said “the inventory level for hydrogen peroxide has been closely monitored and kept within safe levels”.
After the incident at the BM Container depot, from June last year, only one depot namely Chittagong Container Transportation Ltd (CCTL) was handling hydrogen per-oxide.
However, Chittagong Customs last week asked the CCTL not to handle hydrogen per-oxide as the depot has failed to comply with the requirements for handling dangerous substances.
This decision has created severe disruption in exporting hydrogen per-oxide and some 15 containers stuffed with the chemical substance worth US$120,000 were sent back to the factories. According to traders, there are concerns that work orders of US$3.4 million could be cancelled.
Stakeholders opined that unless the depot is given re-approval to handle hydrogen per-oxide soon, the export market will fall in danger to be lost from Bangladesh’s grip.
Mostafa Kamal, president of the Basic Chemical Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh, said the country is presently facing a severe dearth of foreign currencies. The ban means no forex will come from the sector. “We immediately need to find out an alternative way for the continuation of exporting hydrogen per-oxide,” he pointed out.
Sharar Nayel
Asia Correspondent
