‘If the importers release the containers as fast as they can, there is no risk of congestion at the port.’ Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, Chairman of the Chattogram Port Authority, said this on 17 August. He said this during a meeting with a 22-member delegation of the BGMEA, led by Faruque Hasan, president of the association. The meeting was held on the recent crisis of export containers and expediting the export process. It took place at the conference room of Port Building. Appealing to the BGMEA leaders, he added, ‘Imported containers should be taken away as soon as possible after arriving at the port. Problems arise if the containers left undelivered at the port.’
He also requested the BGMEA leaders to discuss with the Main Line Operators (MLOs) the issues of direct shipping to the buyer countries by sea, not to fix specific shipping lines for buyers, and to ensure that the goods reach the port within 24 hours cut-off time.
BGMEA 1st Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, former 1st Vice President Nasir Uddin and former Director Anjan Shekhar Das also spoke at the meeting. Board members of Chattogram Port Authority, directors, and senior officials were present at the meeting.
