An unusually high number of mother vessels carrying food imports has created congestion at Chattogram port’s outer anchorages, causing a severe shortage of lighter vessels and delaying the unloading of cargo.
In recent weeks, the shortage of lighter vessels has worsened. Mother ships carrying commodities such as wheat, lentils, chickpeas, raw sugar, and edible oil are now overstaying at anchorages for 10-20 days.
Big traders in the port city said many businesses rushed to ship in food items this year ahead of Ramadan, taking advantage of relaxed import rules and improved dollar stocks. Seasonal importers without their own storage facilities are either taking longer to move goods into the supply chain or leaving cargo on the lighter vessels for extended periods.
“Most of the Ramadan stocks have already been imported and moved to the supply chain,” said Satyajit Das Barman, head of business (Grains and Logistics) at TK Group, a major Chattogram-based conglomerate.
As of yesterday, over 90 mother vessels were at Chattogram and Kutubdia anchorages, almost double the usual 40-50. More than half are carrying food commodities, while the remainder transport industrial raw materials such as cement clinker, slag, limestone, ball clay, scrap, coal, and fertiliser.
Shipping agents said many ships are receiving fewer lighter vessels than required, with some left without any allocation on certain days.
At its latest berthing meeting on Tuesday, the Bangladesh Water Transport Coordinating Cell (BWTCC) could allocate only 59 lighter vessels to the same number of mother ships, leaving at least 30 large vessels without any unloading support.
Cargo agents usually need three to four lighter vessels to unload one mother ship in a day, but the authorities can now provide only one or none for many ships.
The backlog is already pushing up costs. MV Pacific Jesmin, carrying 58,955 tonnes of raw sugar, arrived at the outer anchorage on December 30. Only 27,000 tonnes had been unloaded by yesterday.
Belayet Hossain, proprietor of the ship’s local agent Litmond Shipping, said, “If enough vessels were allocated, the ship could finish unloading in 10-12 days, but now it may need to stay for another 12 days.”
Another vessel under the same agent, MV Ince Kastamon, carrying 55,000 tonnes of wheat imported by Abul Khair Group, arrived on January 7 but received one lighter vessel for unloading only during Tuesday’s berthing meeting.
Hossain said the ship may take a month to complete unloading, with demurrage adding over $20,000 a day to import costs.
BWTCC Convener Shafiq Ahmed said 631 lighter vessels transporting imported cargo from Chattogram are currently at 50 different destinations across the country. Many, including 143 carrying government-imported fertiliser, were allocated 20-25 days ago and remain stuck. About 300 vessels are still navigating the waterways.
Delays at unloading points are compounded by labour shortages and a lack of storage bags, especially for fertiliser. “The main reason for the crisis is the arrival of a large number of mother vessels at the same time ahead of Ramadan,” Ahmed said.
Previously, BWTCC supervised 1,400 lighter vessels moving imported cargo from the outer anchorage to 59 destinations across the country.
Parvez Ahmed, a leader of the Inland Vessels Owners Association of Chattogram, said over 300 vessels shifted to Mongla, Payra, and Indian coastal routes in the past year due to higher rates and declining trade in Chattogram.
