To free vital yard space, Customs authorities at Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port last week started destroying the cargoes of a number of long-standing (overtime) containers.
The Chittagong Port is the main seaport of Bangladesh. Located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the port handles over 90 percent of Bangladesh’s export-import trade. The port is also a major transshipment hub for neighbouring countries such as India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The Chittagong customs authority has already destroyed cargoes of more than 100 containers while more cargoes have been scheduled for destruction this week. In all, the cargoes of about 445 containers will be destroyed to free yard space in the port. The containers were brought into the port between 2004 and 2018 but the importers did not take delivery.
Currently, there are 7,500 TEU auction-able containers at the port yard, which the importers did not take in time or did not apply for time extension but which have occupied yard space for an unreasonably long period of time.
According to the port data, 273 of the long-standing containers are laden with dangerous cargoes.
The overtime cargoes, according to local media, are being destroyed in a free place close to the dumping station of Chittagong City Corporation.
Officials said the process will take nearly a month and will help free yard space.
The action by the Bangladeshi Customs authorities holds a vital lesson for the Nigeria Customs Service, which has refused to tackle the issue of overtime containers that have taken up important spaces at the various seaports across the country, thereby heightening the fear of port congestion.
Many stakeholders have called on the Nigeria Customs authorities to either auction or destroyed the overtime containers at the port, but the authorities have turned deaf ears to the calls.
Recently, the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo, expressed worries over the alarming rate of overtime cargoes lying fallow at the nation’s seaport.
Addressing stakeholders at the Onne and River port, he urged the Nigeria Customs Service to “do something” regarding the overtime cargoes at the port.
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