<p data-path-to-node="2"><b data-path-to-node="2" data-index-in-node="0">CHITTAGONG —</b> Confronting mounting quayside space constraints and aiming to preserve high vessel-loading velocity ahead of peak seasonal sailings, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), in direct coordination with the Chittagong Custom House and the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), has issued an operational directive enforcing a dynamic 48-hour free dwell window for all empty container equipment staged within marine terminal marshaling yards.</p><p data-path-to-node="3">The regulatory order targets container storage yards across the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT), Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), and Patenga Container Terminal (PCT). Under the updated rules, empty ocean containers discharged from arriving feeder vessels or returned from inland de-stuffing must be evacuated out of quayside terminal yards and transferred to authorized off-dock Inland Container Depots (ICDs) within 48 hours. Any empty container units remaining stacked inside primary harbor gates beyond this two-day window will automatically incur progressive, tiered daily storage penalties and ground-rent surcharges debited against ocean carrier operational accounts.</p><p data-path-to-node="4">The intervention addresses an equipment imbalance that has seen stagnant empty boxes occupy prime quayside footprints, pushing yard utilization rates beyond 85% at key terminal blocks. Terminal operational logs indicate that when stacking yards reach these densities, ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes and rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes are forced into non-productive container reshuffling to unearth target boxes. This operational friction degrades crane productivity, elongates vessel port stays, and forces incoming common feeder vessels operating high-frequency loops to Colombo, Singapore, and Port Klang into prolonged outer anchorage delays along the Karnaphuli River approach.</p><p data-path-to-node="5">Under the enforceable framework, empty container management is restructured across several core operational vectors:</p><ul data-path-to-node="6"><li><p data-path-to-node="6,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="6,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">The Dynamic 48-Hour Evacuation Window:</b> Ocean container liners and drayage carriers must move discharged empty boxes off quayside terminal aprons within 48 hours of vessel discharge. The port's Terminal Operating System (TOS) automatically flags non-compliant units upon expiry of the grace period.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="6,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="6,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Progressive Surcharge Architecture:</b> Un-evacuated empty containers remaining on-dock beyond 48 hours face steep, escalating daily penalty rates that double after five days, coupled with automatic holds on outward shipping bills for non-compliant line operators.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="6,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="6,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Off-Dock Yard Relay:</b> The mandate funnels empty container workflows into the 19 licensed private off-dock ICD facilities encircling the Patenga and Faujdarhat industrial corridors. These off-dock facilities, which maintain a cumulative holding capacity exceeding 105,000 TEUs, serve as the dedicated storage and maintenance buffer, keeping waterfront aprons clear.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="6,3,0"><b data-path-to-node="6,3,0" data-index-in-node="0">RFID and Digital Gate Pass Integration:</b> Prime movers hauling empty units to private ICDs utilize automated RFID and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanner portals, allowing container identification numbers and equipment condition records to be validated in motion to avoid gate-house vehicular queues.</p></li></ul><p data-path-to-node="7">The strategic objective of the 48-hour rule is to protect Bangladesh’s core export driver: the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector. Apparel factories operating across Gazipur, Savar, Narayanganj, and the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) operate on rigid delivery schedules to supply major international retail brands in Western Europe and North America. By purging idle empty boxes from waterfront quays, the port frees up critical ground slots and crane capacity for export-laden apparel containers, ensuring they move swiftly from off-dock stuffing depots straight onto waiting feeder vessels without missing scheduled berthing cut-offs.</p><p data-path-to-node="8">Senior administrative leadership at the Chittagong Port Authority emphasized that waterfront container berths must function strictly as dynamic transit corridors rather than open-ended holding yards. By enforcing rigid empty-box turnover, the port aims to decompress terminal density, accelerate feeder turnarounds, and maintain schedule reliability with long-haul mother vessels calling at regional transshipment hubs.</p>