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CHATTOGRAM, Jan 1 , 2025 (BSS) - Despite of various challenges including dull economic trend , prolonged  political turmoil and adverse climate conditions, Chattogram sea port has set a record in container handling in 2024, registering a 7.42 percent growth in container handling compared to 2023.

The country’s prime sea port has handled a total of 3,276 million TEUS containers while 123.6 million metric tonnes of bulk cargoes just previous  year.  On an average 3.11 percent growth was also achieved in the cargo handling.

“Chattogram Port has achieved the highest volume of container and cargo handling in it’s history in 2024,” CPA Chairman S M Moniruzzaman briefed the press here today saying setting up new records in both container and bulk cargo handling has brighten the images of the port to outside world as well as a welcome news for county’s economy.

 Besides, CPA chairman said, the port was also recorded a revenue income of Tk 50,559.9 million registering  21.39 per cent increase from the previous year’s Tk 41,651.8 million.

Such growth has helped the port from the risks of it’s possible out-throw from membership of 3-million club, sources said.  

 The revenue surplus stood at Tk 29.489.7 million, marking a 37.60 per cent rise compared to the previous year’s Tk 21,431 million. The revenue expenditure was Tk 21,072 million, which is 4.20 per cent less than last year’s Tk 22,028 million.

The CPA completed the container handling data by tallying the number of import, export and empty containers that were loaded and unloaded at the port's main jetties, the Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj and Kamalapur Inland Container Depot in Dhaka.

Performance of outgoing year could have been reached to new heights if had not there  tensed situation centering July-August student-mass uprising, restriction in importing luxury goods, rapid fluctuation in US dollar price and sharp fall in opening Letter of Credits ( LCs) against industrial raw materials, general commodities and capital machinery  coupled with prevailing dull trend in  global economy that affected adversely the import-export trade.  
 
Container handling by the port slowed in 2022 and 2023 when the country experienced a slowdown in foreign trade, caused by global crises such as the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East, as well as domestic challenges like US dollar scarcity and rising inflation.

The growth in all index of port operations have been possible in 2024 following a domestic economy’s significant bounce-back particularly for enhanced remittance flow and pragmatic policy implemented to streamlining the fragile banking sector after assuming power by Interim Government of Prof-Muhammad Younus, port and business circle sources observed.

They also opined that introduction of latest equipment, adopting stringent measures to check irregularities and combating corruption will significantly contribute to improve further the performance of country’s main export-import trade handling facility.       

The rise in container and cargo handling also indicates that the country's foreign trade is expanding and gradually recovering from recent economic challenges, port sources said

Chattogram Port, ranked 67th among the world’s 100 busiest ports, has been facing several challenges in recent years.