<h3 data-path-to-node="3" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH</b> — <b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="25" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Prolonged Customs Auction Delays and Abandoned Imports Consume Up to One-Fifth of Port Capacity, Exacerbating Terminal Congestion</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="4" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-135" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">In a growing operational bottleneck affecting South Asian supply chains, Bangladesh’s primary maritime gateway, Chittagong Port, is experiencing severe yard gridlock due to nearly 9,300 cargo-laden containers remaining stranded across its terminals and storage yards. <span class="citation-245 citation-end-245" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Official data from the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and Chittagong Custom House reveals that exactly 9,278 containers—valued at several thousand crore taka and holding nearly 200,000 tonnes of imported goods—are currently trapped in legal and administrative limbo.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="1" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="5" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-136" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-244 citation-end-244" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">The persistent backlog now occupies 15% to 20% of the port's total operational yard capacity, severely restricting the maritime hub's ability to handle fresh EXIM (Export-Import) cargo flows during the peak shipping season.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><h4 data-path-to-node="6" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="6" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Causes of Siltation in the Storage Yards</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="7" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Maritime tracking and customs audit logs highlight several compounding factors that have led to the long-term accumulation of abandoned cargo:</p><ol start="1" data-path-to-node="8" style="padding-inline-start: 32px; font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,0,0" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-137" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-243" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="8,0,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Legacy Abandonment &amp; Price Drops:</b><span class="citation-243 citation-end-243" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Many consignments have sat unclaimed in the yard for 10 to 15 years.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="3" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-242 citation-end-242" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Importers frequently abandon shipments due to sharp drops in domestic market prices, incomplete import documentation, valuation disputes, or heavy accumulated demurrage fines that exceed the commercial value of the cargo itself.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="4" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,1,0" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-138" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="8,1,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Glacial Auction Pacing:</b><span class="citation-241 citation-end-241" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Under Bangladesh port regulations, imported cargo left unclaimed for more than 30 days after discharge must be listed for public auction or destroyed.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="5" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-240 citation-end-240" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">However, Chittagong Custom House currently processes only 20 to 30 containers per month through open bidding or e-auctions.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="6" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-239 citation-end-239" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Over the past 18 months, approval was granted for 1,619 units, but only 988 containers were actually cleared from the site—a rate far slower than the arrival of newly abandoned boxes.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="7" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li><li style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><p data-path-to-node="8,2,0" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-139" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-238" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></span><b data-path-to-node="8,2,0" data-index-in-node="0" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Container Size Breakdown:</b><span class="citation-238 citation-end-238" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> The stranded fleet consists of 2,700 twenty-foot (TEU) containers and 6,578 forty-foot (FEU) containers.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="8" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-237 citation-end-237" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Much of the long-stored cargo—ranging from perishable agricultural produce to raw industrial inputs—has severely deteriorated or ruined over time.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="9" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p></li></ol><h4 data-path-to-node="9" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><b data-path-to-node="9" data-index-in-node="0" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;">Stakeholder Warnings and Capacity Impact</b></h4><p data-path-to-node="10" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-140" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-236 citation-end-236" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Emphasizing the operational urgency of clearing the yards, Commodore Amin Ahmed Abdullah, Member (Marine and Harbour) of the Chittagong Port Authority, noted that removing these auction-bound units is crucial for restoring port velocity.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="10" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="11" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-141" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-235 citation-end-235" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">"These stranded containers are occupying up to a fifth of our total yard space," stated Commodore Abdullah.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="11" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> <span class="citation-234 citation-end-234" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">"Expeditiously clearing and disposing of this abandoned cargo would immediately free up vital operational land, allowing the port to process fresh import and export consignments without incurring secondary berth delays."<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="12" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span><sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"> <source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c1276579682="" _nghost-ng-c643572535="" class="ng-star-inserted" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----></source-inline-chip><!----><!----><!----></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="12" id="p-rc_adc9131f9795abd5-142" style="font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"><span class="citation-233 citation-end-233" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;">Industry leaders and trade bodies, including the Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association (BSAA), have urged the Ministry of Finance and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to fast-track customs auction procedures.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c318024766="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"><sup _ngcontent-ng-c318024766="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="13" style="line-height: 1.15 !important; font-size: 16px !important; background-color: transparent !important;"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> Shipping lines report that prolonged equipment tie-ups are compounding regional container shortages and imposing heavy holding costs on carrier fleets, threatening trade competitiveness across Bangladesh's core garment and manufacturing export sectors.<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c1276579682="" style="line-height: 1.15 !important;"></sources-carousel-inline></p>