Dhaka will request Singapore to lift the ban imposed on the transportation of hydrogen peroxide through Singapore port. Singapore has stopped exporting chemicals since the fire at the BM container depot in Chattogram.
At a recent meeting held at the Ministry of Commerce, shipping agents said that they have no problem if hydrogen peroxide is packaged following the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code and restrictions imposed by the Singapore Port Authority are lifted.
Hydrogen peroxide exporters have complained that shipping agents have not transported the chemical from Bangladesh since the 4 June fire at the BM container depot that killed 49 people and injured hundreds. They also said that due to the non-cooperation of shipping agents, the export of hydrogen peroxide has completely stopped and they are losing the market due to this. Bangladesh exports hydrogen peroxide worth more than 2 crore dollars annually.
On the other hand, shipping agents said that after the fire at the BM container depot, the Singapore Port Authority issued a notice on the 9th of last month saying that the stock of hydrogen peroxide in their port has exceeded the limit and therefore its transhipment has to be stopped.
The Singapore Port Authority said that it has issued instructions to take immediate action to stop receiving hydrogen peroxide containers until transhipment is normalised, in order to keep dangerous cargo within the safety limits set by the port authority.
Shipping agents in the meeting said that it is not convenient for them to transport hydrogen peroxide through other regional transhipment ports such as Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas, and Colombo instead of Singapore, considering the Bangladeshi export market and ships.
A decision will be taken in a meeting with the Ministry of Commerce on the request to lift Singapore’s ban on the export of hydrogen peroxide, the Ministry of Shipping said.
According to Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data, hydrogen peroxide is exported to a total of 14 countries. Besides India, Pakistan, and Vietnam, hydrogen peroxide is exported to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. During the 10 months from July to April of the 2021-22 fiscal year, the export of hydrogen peroxide generated an income of 2 crores and 33 lac dollars.
Hydrogen peroxide is mainly used in various industries including textiles. Exporters of Bangladesh mainly export to countries where there are more textile factories. 6 factories produce hydrogen peroxide in the country. The products produced in these factories are used in the country. These are also exported. The government also provides cash assistance for exports.
