The Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad has suspended its continuous work stoppage at Chattogram Port for two days. The announcement was made yesterday, Thursday (February 5) afternoon, following several rounds of meetings with Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain. Limited port operations resumed from 5:00 pm. However, in the absence of tidal conditions, vessel movement remained virtually at a standstill.
Port workers and employees have warned that the continuous strike will resume from Sunday if no effective progress is made in meeting their demands. Meanwhile, after the meeting, the shipping adviser reiterated that the government’s position on the lease agreement of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) remains unchanged. As a result, stakeholders believe that although the programme has been temporarily suspended, the core crisis surrounding the NCT lease issue remains unresolved.
Despite a series of meetings involving workers and employees, the port authority, law enforcement agencies, and business representatives, the absence of a comprehensive solution has triggered deep concern among the port-centric business community. They fear that even with the suspension of the work stoppage, it will take time for port operations to return to normal. In the meantime, risks have emerged in the form of vessel congestion, delays in container delivery, and increased demurrage and storage charges. Concerns have intensified further as February has comparatively fewer working days, and additional pressure on supply chains is expected ahead of Ramadan and the upcoming election.
Against this backdrop, the country’s top 10 business associations have issued a joint statement urging high-level government intervention to resolve the crisis in import-export trade caused by the ongoing work stoppage and the complete halt in vessel movement at Chattogram Port. Business leaders expressed deep concern in the statement issued after an emergency meeting held yesterday at the office of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) in Gulshan, Dhaka.
In the joint statement, leaders of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, BCI, MCCI, DCCI, BGMEA, BKMEA, BTMA, BTTLMEA, BGAPMEA, and BGBA said Chattogram Port is the central hub of the country’s import-export trade and industrial supply chains. Disruptions to its operations are putting the core engine of the national economy at risk and could trigger price hikes of essential commodities during Ramadan.
Business leaders warned that a prolonged paralysis of port operations could lead to a major economic catastrophe and is simply intolerable. A shutdown of the port would disrupt the movement and supply of goods and increase costs in the import-export sector, negatively affecting businesses as well as the general public. They called for swift dialogue and resolution between workers and the administration to ensure uninterrupted port operations in the greater national interest and to keep the economic engine active.
Expressing deep concern over the paralysis of the port, business leaders noted in the statement that this is the first time in the history of Chattogram Port that vessel movement has been completely halted, describing it as a rare and alarming crisis. Each day of port closure, they said, results in direct economic losses amounting to several billion taka. As a result, import and export activities across all sectors, including ready-made garments, have come to a standstill, pushing the country towards irreparable losses.
They added that while raw materials for export-oriented industries are failing to reach factories on time, finished goods are piling up at the port awaiting shipment. This has made it nearly impossible to meet delivery deadlines committed to international buyers. Business leaders warned that if the situation persists for just a few more days, large-scale order cancellations could follow, and foreign buyers may take the drastic decision to shift their sourcing away from Bangladesh.
The statement further said the ongoing crisis is creating instability in bank lending and letter of credit (LC) management. Failure to ship goods on time would prevent businesses from meeting their banking obligations, posing serious risks to the entire financial sector. The effect of disrupting import-export due to paralysis of port operations, they warned, will have far-reaching negative effects on the overall economy and could fuel further price hikes in the markets ahead of Ramadan and Eid.
Calling on the interim government to act immediately, business leaders said the issue must be resolved without delay in the greater national interest and to keep the wheels of the economy turning. They noted that the complications surrounding the NCT lease could be left for review by an elected government later, but keeping the port paralysed in the meantime is unacceptable under any circumstances.
The joint statement issued by the 10 business associations was signed by Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI); Kamran Tanvirur Rahman, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI); Taskeen Ahmed, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI); Salim Rahman, acting president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA); Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA); Showkat Aziz Russell, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA); Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, president of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF); Md Shahriar, president of the Bangladesh Garments Accessories & Packaging Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGAPMEA); Md Abdul Hamid, president of the Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association (BGBA); and M Shahadat Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BTTLMEA).
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) said in a separate statement that under normal circumstances, Chattogram Port handles an average of around 260,000 TEUs per month, or about 9,000 TEUs per day. Due to current delays in cargo clearance, traders are incurring additional demurrage and storage charges of BDT 10,000–15,000 per container per day. The inability to ship goods on schedule has also raised the risk of export orders being cancelled or diverted to other countries. With Ramadan approaching, the chamber warned that prolonged delays in clearing consumer goods could disrupt market supply and fuel price hikes. In this situation, DCCI believes urgent government intervention is necessary to resolve the crisis through dialogue with all stakeholders.
Mohammad Mustafa Haider, group director of port user and major importer TK Group, told Bonik Barta, “Chattogram Port is the lifeline of the country’s supply chain. While the impact on bulk cargo is relatively limited, congestion is already building up in containerised imports and exports. This month has only 16 working days. Any disruption to port operations during this period creates simultaneous pressure on clearance and onward transportation, which is difficult to manage. With Ramadan and the election ahead, the situation is becoming even more sensitive. If the ongoing uncertainty over port management isn’t resolved quickly, there is a serious risk of a major disruption to the supply chain.”
Exporters are facing significant losses as container vessel movements are disrupted, and their concerns are growing with the prolonged uncertainty over port management.
Mohammed Abdus Salam, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told Bonik Barta, “Such a situation at Chattogram Port has never been seen before, and it poses a major risk to the national economy. Due to container congestion, demurrage charges, port fees, and storage rents are rising rapidly. This will directly increase production costs and market prices. At the same time, there is a risk of Bangladesh’s image being damaged among the international buyers.”
Noting that the temporary suspension of the work stoppage has provided some relief, Abdus Salam, managing director of Asian Group, said, “If the programme resumes, production activities will certainly face heavy losses. Work for the new season has already begun. Any major disruption to raw material imports or export shipments at this time will create severe pressure across the entire supply chain, which will be extremely difficult to manage.”
The authorities announced the suspension of the ongoing protest yesterday afternoon on the sixth day of the movement against the decision to lease the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to DP World. Earlier, the port had effectively come to a standstill due to an eight-hour work stoppage each day for three consecutive days from Saturday, followed by an indefinite strike from Tuesday. The decision to impose punitive transfers on employees further intensified the movement.
In an effort to manage the situation, Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain arrived at Chattogram Port yesterday morning, where he faced protests from the demonstrators. The protesters also demanded the removal of the port chairman. Later in the afternoon, a meeting was held between the adviser and protest leaders at the port building. Amid the protests, the port chairman left the meeting room at one stage.
After the meeting, Ibrahim Khokon, coordinator of the Port Protection Movement Council, said their four-point demand includes: no leasing of the New Mooring Terminal to DP World under any circumstances; withdrawal of administrative actions taken against protesting employees and assurances that no punitive measures will be taken in the future; and the resignation of Port Chairman SM Moniruzzaman. He said the adviser talked about discussing the NCT issue at a higher level and gave assurances on the other demands. Based on these assurances, the movement has been suspended until Saturday.
However, speaking to journalists after the meeting, Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hossain said that holding a movement by shutting down the port ahead of Ramadan is “extremely inhumane” and that no one has the authority to keep the port closed. He warned that the government would take a hard line if anyone obstructs port operations again.
Regarding the NCT lease agreement, the adviser said, “The contract may not be stopped. However, no agreement will be signed that undermines national interests. Discussions with DP World haven’t yet been finalised.”
After leaving the port building, the shipping adviser held a separate meeting with business leaders. Speakers included Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, convener of the Chattogram Port Users’ Forum, and MA Salam, managing director of Asian-Duff Group. Business leaders said the current situation would not have arisen had there been no ambiguity surrounding the New Mooring Terminal agreement. They called for full transparency on the issue and demanded a waiver of losses for containers that could not be cleared during the four days of disruption.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the shipping adviser held talks with port workers and employees, and the port authority initiated measures against protest leaders. In a letter signed by Port Secretary Syed Refayet Hamim, the authority requested relevant departments and agencies to impose travel bans on 15 port employees, including the two main coordinators of the movement, Md Humayun Kabir and Md Ibrahim Khokon, citing allegations of involvement in “anti-state activities” and ongoing investigations against them. The letter was issued yesterday after the announcement suspending the indefinite strike.
The letter stated, “The employees were involved in anti-state activities and that investigations were currently underway against them, requesting that the relevant authorities ensure they cannot leave the country. The Anti-Corruption Commission was also asked to investigate all movable and immovable assets of the named employees and take necessary action.
Stakeholders believe the situation surrounding the ongoing movement at the port and the NCT issue has become more complicated due to these steps being taken on the same day as discussions with the shipping adviser. While the port authority argues that such measures are unavoidable to maintain operational discipline and security, port insiders say that pursuing punitive actions alongside dialogue is making a durable resolution to the crisis increasingly uncertain.