An incessant rain caused waist-deep water logging in the port city of Chittagong in Bangladesh halving box and cargo supply from the port yard and inland container depots (ICDs) during the last couple of days.
The rain put almost all main and sub roads under water halting the movement of small and medium vehicles, while water also entered into the offices and residential buildings disrupting day-to-day activities.
Shipping officials say that due to water in the roads, shipping agents are failing to reach customs offices, banks, and other facilities associated with the release of containers from the port area.
Usually, over 4,000 TEUs of containers are delivered from the port yards per day while during the last couple of days, only around 2,000 TEUs were delivered. Data available from the website of the Chittagong Port Authority shows that on Monday only 2,204 TEUs of containers were delivered from the port yard while on Sunday 2,565 TEUs and on Saturday 2,309 TEUs.
Mohammed Abdullah Jahir, chief operating officer of Saif Maritime, said many of the low-lying areas of Chittagong were underwater during the last couple of days. Water entered most of the homes and offices there.
“Homes of many people involved in the container and cargo-related activities were also underwater thus they could not attend in works leading to lower delivery of boxes,” he noted.
Jahir further said in Chittagong rain is continuing also on Tuesday (8 August).
Chittagong Port Authority spokesperson Omar Faruk said businesses are not interested to take delivery of boxes due to waterlog created by heavy rainfall.
He pointed out that in the outer anchorage of the port, the number of ships is increasing as delivery of bulk cargoes remained suspended there for a couple of days due to incessant rain.
The Meteorological Office warned that rain may further increase from next Saturday and may continue throughout the month of August due to the axis of monsoon trough runs through Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to Assam across Northern part of Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends up to North Bay. Monsoon is active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over North Bay.
Shipping sector officials said the rain has also disrupted container deliveries from the inland container depots (ICDs) located across Chittagong. Rainwater also entered into the premises of some of the ICDs where outbound cargoes are stuffed into the containers and 38 types of goods-laden import boxes are delivered from there.
Ruhul Amin Sikder (Biplob), Secretary General of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), said container delivery from the depots has lessened to almost half during the rainy days compared to the regular volume.
Usually, some 850 TEUs of containers are delivered from the depots, while now, due to heavy rain, it came down to around 400 or less, according to Biplob.
Sharar Nayel
Asia Correspondent
